Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels
by JamesFames
Summary: Before the Phantom Thieves could take on Shido, someone from Futaba's past returns. What sort of story could this mystery man tell the Thieves? What kind of connection does he have to Futaba? Delve into the story of rebels who refused to bend the knee to injustice and corruption. They are the Rebel Spectres, and they bleed a different kind of blood.
1. An Unexpected Family Reunion

**Recently, I've beaten Persona 5 and I absolutely loved it! It had a few problems, but it was an overall great game! The characters, the gameplay, even the story was interesting! I'm now currently on my second playthrough, and then I'm gonna get all the achievements. So, I figured I'd try my hand at making a fan fiction in the Persona 5 department. This will be a different take on the Persona 5 story, so some things will be different. Hope you guys enjoy! And be sure to review!**

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter One: An Unexpected Family Reunion

The Phantom Thieves had just exited through one of the Mementos warp portals, having dealt with someone's Shadow, the Thieves were quick to celebrate.

"That's another Shadow biting the dust!" Ryuji boasted, a big grin on his face.

"I have to say, Joker, you have a great sense of justice." Makoto remarked. "Even in times of strife, you still wish to help others."

It was November twenty-six of the year 20xx. After faking Akira's death, the Phantom Thieves have made it their mission to stop Masayoshi Shido from becoming prime minister of Japan. Before doing that, though, Joker decided to do a few requests, courtesy of Yuuki Mishima. Though the Thieves have lost support of some of their fans; that hasn't stopped the young teens from wanting to change society.

"I understand that we need to deal with Shido as soon as possible," Joker declared. "But that doesn't mean that we should ignore those in need."

"You're absolutely right, Joker." Yusuke nodded in agreement. "We must always help those in need."

"We can always count on Joker to want to help the weak!" Ann smiled gleefully.

"I agree." Haru nodded. "We cannot ignore those who call for help."

"Glad to see you guys haven't forgotten what's important." Morgana smiled. "I'm so proud of you guys!"

"And it's good to see that real justice is done!" Futaba beamed.

Their celebratory attitude, however, quickly died down, as soon as they heard a set of rattling chains in the distance.

"Uhhh, guys?" Ryuji gulped. "How long were we down here?"

"Five minutes, last I checked." Yusuke shrugged. "Why?"

The answer appeared from around the nearest corner, in the form of a terrifying creature, a Reaper, to be specific, a terribly powerful shadow that prowls Mementos, hunting for those who linger for two long. The Thieves stared at the Shadow, all frozen with fear, as the Reaper turned its gaze toward them, letting out a feral growl.

"EVERYBOBY RUUUN!" Ryuji screamed.

Everyone turned and ran in the other direction, running as fast as they could, with the Reaper hot on their tail, ready to kill the Phantom Thieves.

"It's gaining on us!" Haru screamed, having a fleeting glance back at the beast and the Thieves hustled and tried to run faster.

"Mona, transform already!" Ann yelled.

"I know, I know!" Morgana huffed, as he ran, but Ann grabbed him by his cartoonish head and threw him into the air and in a puff of smoke, he transformed into his car form.

The Thieves quickly pilled in and sped off, Makoto at the wheel, the Reaper still hot on their tail.

"It's still gaining on us!" Ryuji yelled.

"I'm going as fast as I can!" Morgana yelled.

The team went as fast as they could. As they turned a corner, however, they noticed a stranger a few feet ahead. The stranger was tall, wore Egyptian clothing that resembled an Egyptian king, consisting of a black sleeveless shirt, a golden Egyptian shendyt skirt with an embellished waistband. He also wore a pair of golden wrist gauntlets, a pair of golden sandals, and his body was covered neck to toe with white bandages. He also wore a black and golden Anubis mask.

"Who's that?" Haru asked.

"I don't know, Noir, but he's in the way!" Makoto growled, turning the steering wheel. "I'm swerving around!"

The car swerved around but as it did, Futaba looked out the window, towards the stranger. She couldn't help but feel a sense a familiarity towards him.

"That guy…" She thought, her sight fixed on him. "I feel like I've seen him before…"

"What's that guy doing?!" Ryuji demanded. "The Reaper's gonna tear him to shreds!"

Morgana stopped and the Thieves looked on, seeing the Reaper coming around the corner, its gaze now set on the stranger, letting out a feral growl, and then began charging towards the stranger.

"Dude! Run away!" Ryuji yelled, seeing the stranger not moving a muscle. "You're gonna-"

Before Ryuji finished, the stranger brought a hand up to his mask, and a ray of light shined behind him.

"PERSONA!"

In a flash of light, the Reaper was pushed back, skidding across the tracks. The light cleared, revealing a _Persona_ at the strangers back. She was dressed as an Egyptian queen, with a sheer cape dress, an ornate neckpiece with its matching arm rings and a headdress boasting golden bead strands. She also had two snakes wrapped around her arms.

"Time to show these kids how a professional handles it." The stranger declared, his voice a bit gravely, as he pulled out a golden glaive. "Let's erase this Shadow, _Cleopatra!_ "

Cleopatra laughed and her snakes hissed loudly.

" _Yes, let us curse the pathetic creature now!"_

The Reaper roared and charged, guns blazing, but the stranger easily sidestepped the Shadow, then stuck it with the butt of his glaive, then hoisted himself over the weapon, delivering a swift kick to the beast's chest, then brought a downward slash onto the Shadow.

The Thieves looked on, completely amazed by the fight, the Reaper unable to get a hit on the stranger, who easily kept landing blow after blow.

"No way." Ryuji spoke, awestruck by the fight. "That guy's got more balls than Fox."

"Indeed." Yusuke nodded, before realizing what was said. "Wait a minute…"

"Shouldn't we help him?" Makoto asked.

"We'd just get in the way." Ann shook her head. "Besides, he seems to have it under control."

The fight went on, the stranger suffering no injuries, and the Reaper was on its last leg.

"Time to finish this." The stranger declared, summoning Cleopatra. "Hit him with a bless attack, then finish it off with a curse skill!"

" _Of course, friend. One shot of_ _ **Kougon**_ _with a side of_ _ **Eigaon**_ _, coming right up!"_

Cleopatra casted a powerful spell of light upon the Reaper, pushing it back, then she casted a powerful dark spell onto it, forcing onto the ground. With the Shadow down, the stranger simply walked over to it, pistol in hand, and aimed it at the Reapers head. The Reaper gave one last deviant roar, then the stranger simply shot it in the head, killing it and reducing it to nothing but a dark puddle.

The Thieves were absolutely amazed by what had just occurred. The stranger before them had just taken down a _Reaper_ , one of the most terrifying, not to mention the strongest, Shadow in all of Mementos, especially by himself! Ecstatic, the Thieves ran over to the stranger.

"Wow! That was AWESOME, dude!" Ryuji whooped, a huge grin on his face.

"I've never seen someone take on a Reaper before." Morgana remarked. "By themselves, not to mention!"

"Truly a David and Goliath." Yusuke nodded.

"A very brave display, sir." Haru smiled.

"Yeah, that was amazing!" Ann cheered.

"A most impressive victory." Makoto nodded.

"We thank you for your help, sir." Akira thanked. "If you hadn't come along…"

The stranger only stared back at them, before smirking.

"Ease up on your praises, kids." He said. "You should've seen me when I was starting out."

"From the way you talk, you sound like you've been doing this for a long time." Morgana said.

"And what gave that away?" The stranger asked, crossing his arms. "The fact that I didn't soil myself over one lousy Reaper?"

"Sounds like you've fought a Reaper before." Ryuji remarked.

"Please, I've fought tougher Shadows." The stranger shrugged.

"But who are you?" Yusuke asked. "No one else knows about the Metaverse but us and-"

"Masayoshi Shido and his company of rats?" The stranger said, a-matter-of-factly. "Not to mention his attack dog?"

The Thieves looked at him in shock, all surprised by his knowledge.

"How do you know that?" Makoto asked.

"I think the better question is how I know all of you." The stranger declared, as he turned to each of them, as he said their names. "Akira Kurusu. Ryuji Sakamoto. Ann Takamaki. Yusuke Kitagawa. Makoto Niijima. Haru Okumura. Little Morgana." His sights settled upon Futaba, then smiled. "And of course, Futaba Sakura."

"How the fuck do you know our names?!" Ryuji demanded.

"I've heard your names many times at Shujin." The stranger declared, a smirk on his face. "In fact, I think I heard Morgana a few times."

"At Shujin?" Makoto repeated. "Are you a teacher there?"

"Quite right, actually." The stranger nodded. "In fact, Akira and Ann had my class a few times. I think you and Ryuji-san were there once as well, Makoto-chan."

The stranger then removed his mask, revealing his short black hair, his dark eyes and his tanned skin.

Akira, Ryuji, Ann and Makoto gasped at the sight, as they instantly recognized who the stranger was, all four with a different response.

"Teach?!" Ryuji gasped.

"Sensei?!" Makoto gasped as well.

"Mr Nero?!" Ann gasped along.

"Professor?!" Akira stuttered.

"Indeed it is." He nodded, with an unaltered smile on his face. "It is good to see you again, my students."

"But what're you doing here?" Ryuji asked. "How did you-"

"I've been at this much longer than you kids." Nero chuckled. "In fact, where you kids have been playing in the Metaverse for only a few months, I've been at this for _three years_."

"Three years?" Yusuke repeated.

"That's right." The professor nodded. "Three years ago, I've been researching Cognitive Psience, to understand the phenomenon, then tragedy struck."

"You seem familiar." Futaba spoke up, approaching him, seeing his brown eyes had some faint purple tones in them, like hers. "You're eyes are the same as mine."

"What a funny coincidence." The professor chuckled. "But I believe it's time I stopped beating around the bush."

"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.

"To be honest, I was hoping our similarities would give it away. But I'm not the professor you thought I am." He continued. "You see, my real name is Iko Abraxas. I am…or was a scientist in the field of cognitive psience." He then turned to Futaba. "And I'm your father, Futaba."

The thieves gasped loudly, clearly shocked by this sudden revelation. Even Futaba couldn't find the right words.

"Wait, hold on a sec!" Ryuji finally spoke up, still in a state of disbelief. "You're telling us that you're Futaba's old man?!"

"Yes, and who are you calling old?" Iko frowned. "I'm no older than Sojiro!"

"Wait, you know Sojiro?" Futaba asked.

"That's correct." Iko nodded. "Look, why don't we head back to the real world and speak, where it's safe and free of Shadows. And Reapers."

The teens nodded, and with Iko, they returned to reality, meeting up at the diner to discuss more.

"So, just to be clear," Ryuji brought up once more. "You're Futaba's real dad? Like, biologically, right?"

"That is right, Sakamoto-kun." Iko nodded, before taking a sip of his tea.

"Sojiro never mentioned you before." Akira pointed out. "Then again, I don't think he spoke of you, like ever."

"Sojiro never spoke of me?" Iko said, before chuckling. "Old Sojiro-san and I go back a few years, even became drinking buddies on our off hours."

"You and Boss sound inseparable." Yusuke remarked.

"Indeed we were." Iko nodded. "Sojiro-san has always been like a brother to me." He then turned to Akira. "By the way, how is he?"

"He's been doing well." Akira nodded. "He's been working at the coffee shop."

"Good to hear that he's been doing well." Iko chuckled. "It seems we've both fallen from pretty high places."

"It's not all bad." Ann beamed. "He makes the best coffee at Leblanc!"

"And the best curry!" Futaba added.

"I don't doubt it." Iko nodded. "I've always loved his cooking."

"Perhaps you would like to meet him?" Yusuke suggested. "Perhaps then you can tell us more of your story."

"That would be nice, yes." Iko nodded. "I would certainly love to catch up with him." He looked toward Futaba. "And perhaps I can be the father Wakaba needed me to be. For Futaba's sake."

The teens were in agreement, but Futaba wasn't convinced.

"But first, if you'll excuse me, I need to take a whizz, as they say in America." Iko said, standing from his seat. "I'll be just a moment."

After he went to the restroom, the Phantom Thieves went to talking.

"What do you guys think?" Akira asked his fellow thieves.

"This guy could be a HUGE asset to the team!" Ryuji declared. "His experience could make our jobs as Phantom Thieves so much easier!"

"Not so loud, numbskull!" Ann chided him silently, elbowing him.

"I have to agree with Ryuji, for once." Morgana spoke up, popping his head out of Akira's bag. "With his experience, he could tell us more about the Metaverse!"

"Yeah, I don't buy it."

Everyone looked toward Futaba, her arms crossed on the table and a scowl on her face.

"Whaddya mean, Futaba?" Ryuji asked.

"Yeah, he seems like a good guy." Ann added.

"Give me a break!" Futaba growled. "After all this time and he just expects to be my Dad all of a sudden!"

"Well, think of it-" Yusuke tried to say.

"I mean, this could be a trap!" Futaba kept ranting. "Akechi, Shido, they all want us dead!"

"I know but-" Makoto tried to speak up.

"But what?" Futaba demanded.

"Futaba, do you remember that story you told me?" Akira asked. "About Randy Cauliflower?"

"What?" Ann asked.

"That guy who was leader of a team of super heroes." Akira said. "The guy who dressed in white? Had a talking cane."

"Tommy Oliver." Futaba said, correcting him. "And it was a sword, not a cane."

"Why did the sword talk?" Yusuke asked.

"To be supportive, Inari!" Futaba frowned.

"I remember you telling me about that story." Akira explained. "Of how you had a picture of him, and pretended that Tommy Oliver was your dad. But that he was never around, cause he was too busy fighting evil. It was an interesting story. I liked it."

"I didn't." Futaba huffed. "Everyday, I would look outside and I would see all the other kids hanging out with their dad." Her expression saddened. "And, that's what I wanted."

"My point is, maybe this guy is your Tommy Oliver." Akira said, putting a hand on Futaba's shoulder. "I know it's a longshot, but, in your shoes, I'd want to know about my dad, more than anything."

"And if he turns out evil, we'll just beat him up and give him a Change of Heart." Ann added.

Futaba sighed, then nodded.

"You're right." She declared, smiling. "I want to give this guy the chance he deserves!"

"That's the spirit!" Haru smiled.

After their agreement, Iko returned from the restroom.

"Well then, shall we get going?" He asked. "I'm dying to have some of Sojiro's coffee and delicious curry."

And with that, the Thieves and Iko left the Diner, making their way to Leblanc, hoping that their new friend will give them some answers.

 **Finally, The first chapter is complete! As you guys can tell, most of this story will be told through Iko's eyes, a character I made to serve as Futaba's biological father. I apologize if this chapter seems a bit rushed, but it's just been a while since I've updated and I really wanted to get this idea out there. Also, if you have Persona ideas, let me know! I already got a few to serve as this new groups Persona's, such as Cleopatra, Al Capone, Billy the Kid, Vlad the Impaler, Ghangis Khan, but I need more ideas. I'll make sure to credit you for the idea! Anyways, enjoy the first chapter! And be sure to review, feedback is appreciated!**


	2. A Suspicious Tragedy

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Two: A Suspicious Tragedy

The Thieves arrived in Yongen-Jaya a few hours later; it was already in the evening. It was understandable, considering the Thieves spent most of the day in Mementos and preparing for the heist of Shido's palace. The team arrived at the coffee shop, Iko made sure he dressed as best he could with what he had. He wore a beige trench coat over a grey t-shirt, a pair of black dress pants, black dress shoes, and he wore a pair of aviator sunglasses.

"Alright, this is it." Akira declared, turning to Iko. "Are you ready, professor? There's no telling how he'll react."

"I'm ready, Kurusu." Iko nodded, removing his sunglasses and putting them in his coat pocket. "Besides, I want to do this now, rather than later."

"Then let's do this!" Morgana beamed, popping out of Akira's bag and onto his shoulder. "The sooner we do this, the better!"

The teens entered, with Iko following behind, to see Sojiro behind the bar, washing dishes.

"Sojirooo!" Futaba called. "We're baaack!"

Sojiro looked up from his dishes and smiled at the teens.

"Welcome back." He greeted. "Busy day?"

"Most certainly." Akira nodded. "Is it okay if we have some coffee?"

"And curry!" Futaba added. "I hunger!"

"Sure." Sojiro nodded. "Anything new?"

"None, save for the fact that we've brought a new friend." Makoto declared. "He also claims to know you, Boss."

"Really?" Sojiro raised a brow. "I don't know, I've met a lot of people back then."

As the teens moved to the booths, Iko stepped forward, and as Sojiro looked toward him, he froze, his face filled with shock and surprise. The two looked at each other for a while, before Iko decided to speak.

"Sojiro-san." Iko smiled. "It's been a while."

"I-Iko-san?!" Sojiro stuttered. "Wha-what are you-? Where did-"

"Before we continue," Iko said, holding up a hand. "Is it alright if I have some of your delicious curry and amazing coffee?"

"Sure, o-of course!" Sojiro nodded, turning to Akira. "Can you help me out?"

Akira nodded, then went to wash up and get his apron.

A few minutes later, of awkward silence, the curry and coffee was finally ready. The teens had their usual, Ryuji had a soda to drink, while Iko's curry was the biggest out of them all.

"Looks good as always, Sojiro-san." Iko declared, before taking a bite, savoring the flavor. "And delicious."

"Thank you, Iko." Sojiro nodded, still a bit nervous. "And the coffee?"

Iko took a sip, once again savoring the flavor.

"Amazing as always." He smiled.

"So, what **are** you doing here?" Sojiro asked. "I mean, I'm glad to see you, but I haven't seen you in so long."

"I was hoping to meet the legendary Phantom Thieves." Iko declared. "Maybe even tell a tale of my own."

"You did mention that, when we first met." Yusuke mused.

"And don't go overboard with calling us legendary, sir." Akira chuckled. "We're just a bunch of teenagers trying to reform society."

"More like a bunch of teenagers risking their lives to reform society." Iko declared. "People willing to risk their lives and freedom to make a difference deserve much respect."

"What about your story?" Ann asked. "How did you and Wakaba meet?"

"My goodness, where to even start?" Iko sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"Listen, Iko, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to." Sojiro said, rubbing his friends shoulder. "If you want, I could tell it instead."

"I would appreciate that, but I must tell this story myself." Iko shook his head. "This pain has been weighing on my chest for too long."

"Well, take your time." Akira said. "While we do need to take down Shido as soon as possible, I want to hear your story."

"Thank you." Iko smiled, before sighing. "Many years ago, I was living in Egypt with my sister, who married someone who was a terrible influence for her. After that, we never spoke to each other, after I graduated college."

"Sounds rough." Ryuji remarked.

"True." Iko nodded. "After some time, I had theories about the human unconsciousness, but everyone ignore me, due to my poor background. I was lucky enough to get through school and college with what money I had. Then, while I was drowning away my sorrows in a bar, that's when I met her…"

* * *

 _Years ago…_

* * *

Iko sat alone in the Egyptian bar in Giza, drowning away his sorrows in alcohol. His recent application was declined by the research facility he had his eye on for quite some time and this decline left him rather depressed. As he downed his third bottle, he failed to notice the beautiful Japanese woman carrying a cane approach him.

"To think that I'd find someone so brilliant in a place like this." She remarked.

Iko looked up to her, a frown on his face.

"Who're you?" He asked lazily, surprising not as drunk as the average person would be.

"Someone who sees potential brilliance when I see it." She declared proudly. "I am Wakaba Ishiki." She gestured to one of the booths. "Perhaps it would be best if we speak in private."

The two moved over to one of the booths, the bartender bringing their drinks.

"So, what do you want?" Iko asked impatiently. "I'm a busy man."

"Doing what, besides drowning away in a filthy bar?" Wakaba asked a-matter-of-factly.

Iko only grunted.

"From what I heard you're quite brilliant." Wakaba remarked, taking a sip of her gin. "Your theories on cognitive psience are quite unique."

"And who gave you that idea?" Iko asked bluntly.

"Your brother." Wakaba declared, making Iko drop his expression. "Your brother spoke highly of you. He died protecting me." She took another sip of her drink, before continuing. "Your brother was a good man, brave." She then frowned. "And after reading your files, he'd be bitterly disappointed with the choices you made."

"You can't talk to me like that." Iko retorted bitterly.

"Huge IQ, great performance in primary school, busted your ass." Wakaba remarked. "Then it all went to shit, didn't it? Drugs, alcohol, never had a real job."

"You see any place offerin' a job here?" Iko asked sarcastically.

"Doesn't explain why you gave up your hobbies." Wakaba countered. "Grades exceeded in chemistry and science, so good in fact you could've gone to teach human anatomy."

"Yeah, well, when your sister is under the influence of someone like my brother in law," Iko shrugged. "You pick up new hobbies rather quick."

"Of course, always someone else's fault." Wakaba rolled her eyes, much to Iko's annoyance. "Who's to blame when you quit the army? You were doing brilliantly, halfway through training, but you gave up."

"Because my sister went fuckin' crazy," Iko snapped, tired of this line of questioning. "Goin' on about losin' me, as well as my brother! Didn't want me to end up as cannon fodder for snobs like you, judging people like me from your ivory towers, with no thought about why we do what we do!" He leaned in a bit. "We ain't got much choice, you understand? And if we were born with the same silver spoons up our asses, we'd do just as well as you do." He then leaned back in his seat. "If not better."

Suddenly, the bar doors swung open, as six large and muscular Arabic men entered, all of them glaring daggers at Iko, much to Iko's annoyance.

"You've got some fucking nerve, showing your face here, Abraxas!" One of them growled, a tall skinny man.

Wakaba looked over at them as they approached, before looking back at Iko.

"Some more examples of young men who simply need a silver suppository?" She asked subtly.

"Nah, they're exceptions." Iko shooked his head. "Let's just leave."

"Nonsense, we haven't finished our drinks." Wakaba chuckled, not at all worried about the angry men who now towered over them.

"After you trashed his car," The overweight man snarled, glaring at Iko. "Kabal says you're fair game, and I don't give a shit what your sister says."

"Excuse me, gentlemen?" Wakaba spoke up, gaining the attention of the six angry men. "I've had a rather busy day, so whatever your problem with Iko is, and I'm sure it's well-founded, I'd appreciate it enormously if you could just leave us in peace," She then held up her glass. "At least until I finish this lovely pint of gin."

Iko looked at her with a dumbstruck look on his face, then averted his eyes to the men, none of them too happy.

"You'd best leave right now, woman," The tall one spoke. "Before you get hurt."

"He's not joking, you should go." Iko pleaded, not wanting Wakaba to get hurt, even though he just met her.

Wakaba looked at Iko, that pleading look on his face, then she simply sighed, before getting up from her seat, making her way towards the door.

"You lookin' for a place of work," The tall one mocked. "There's a brothel on third street, bitch."

Wakaba stopped at the door, no doubt furious with the insults thrown at her, then casually reached for the first lock.

"Manners…" She began, gaining the attention of the men once again, as she engaged the first lock. "Maketh…" She engaged the second lock. "Man." She engaged the third lock, making it clear that she wasn't leaving.

Already in a foul mood, the six thugs glared at her angrily, all of them made to approach, Iko cursing under his breath, as he stayed seated as he watched.

"Do you know what that means?" Wakaba asked, much to the confusion of the six thugs. "Then let me teach you a lesson."

Using her cane, she swiped a glass jug off of one of the tables, sending it flying at the tall thug, hitting him square in the face and knocking him to the floor, much to the surprise of the thugs and Iko.

"Are we going to stand around slack-jawed?" She casually asked. "Or are we going to fight?"

One of the shorter thugs rushed at her, throwing a punch, only for Wakaba to parry, sending the fist flying into one of the other shorter thugs, knocking out a tooth and him out.

Iko looked on, amazed by what's transpiring, as the other thugs rushed at her, Wakaba easily fighting them off, knocking one of them off their feet with her cane, as one of them came at her with a knife, only for her to pull one of the thugs in, the knife wielding thug stabbing his friend in the shoulder by mistake, then she kicked the two into each other, knocking them out. The fat thug reached for a bottle and swung at her, only for Wakaba to counter, smashing the bottle against his skull, knocking him out.

The taller thug regained consciousness, then pulled out a small revolver from his pants, aiming it at Wakaba, who noticed this and ducked behind one of the tables as he fired away, hitting the table or missing every shot, yelling the whole time, then failed to notice that he ran out of ammo, allowing Wakaba the opportunity to close in and swing her cane and struck him in the face, sending him flying and through a table, knocking him out.

Iko just looked on, shocked by what had just occurred, as she approached bar and placed a small bag on money on the counter for the quivering bartender.

"Use that to clean up the mess and make repairs." She said simply, earning a nod from the bartender, who took the money to the back.

Letting out a breath, she went back to her seat, then downed the last bit of her gin, before sighing in relief, as Iko still gave her a shocked expression.

"Sorry about that." Wakaba apologized. "Had to let off a bit of steam."

"How did-" Iko stuttered, unsure of how to react. "Where-"

"Not all of us 'eggheads' are as defenseless as some may claim." Wakaba stated. "Now, I'd hate to see your brilliance go to waste, so how about I offer you a job on my research team?"

Iko looked at her, curious, as she continued.

"You see, I have a team of researchers, dedicated to discovering the nature of the human unconscious." She declared. "Having you on our team, as my partner, would greatly benefit us all." She then smiled. "And you would be well compensated for your efforts." She then held out a hand. "What say you, Mr Abraxas?"

Iko looked at her hand, then to her face, unsure how to respond. Not only did she seem smart and sharp with her tongue, not to mention beautiful, she also knew how to defend herself. Not to mention she was offering him an offer he can't honestly refuse. With a new purpose, Iko smiled and gladly shooked her hand.

"I'm in." He said.

"Excellent." Wakaba smiled, rising from her seat. "Follow me. The car is outside."

The two exited the bar, Iko greeted with the sight of a black limousine. Getting into the back seat, the car drove onward.

"You're right about the 'snobs'," Wakaba declared with a smile. "But there too, there are exceptions."

Iko only nodded in response, for he knew that this was going to be a very interesting job he was getting.

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"And that is how I met Wakaba." Iko finished, sighing at the memory. "Not only did she pull my ass out of the frying pan, she also gave a position on her research team, as her partner, and we've been working together ever since. It was also the same time when we arrived in Japan that she introduced me to Sojiro, and we became good friends ever since."

"Wow. She sounds like a real badass." Ryuji smirked, before blurting out. "So, when did you two start dating?"

This got him an elbow to the arm from Ann.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a date, per say." Iko rubbed the back of his neck. "After a while, I was absolutely enamored by not just her brilliance, but her beauty as well. After a few months, we were working closer together and, eventually, we kinda hit it off."

"What do you mean 'kinda'?" Makoto asked.

"One day, she was having a rough time." Iko explained. "I was trying to cheer her up. We then had a few drinks and, well… well, the next morning, I woke up next to her in bed."

"So, you slept with her?" Ryuji implied.

"That's right." Iko nodded, before turning to Sojiro. "For what it's worth, Sojiro-san, I'm sorry."

"For what? Falling in love with Wakaba?" Sojiro chuckled. "Look, pal, you've got nothing to apologize for. But it does explain the behavior you two showed, every time you were in the same room together."

"I don't know if it really was love, my friend." Iko sighed. "After I found out she was pregnant, she made me swear to keep my mouth shut about Futaba's parentage. Something about not wanting either of us to be labeled. For her sake, I swore to keep my mouth shut and when Futaba was born, I was introduced as an uncle."

"That must have been hard for you, knowing that you're not allowed to speak of Futaba's parentage." Makoto frowned.

"It has been, watching Futaba grow up and not even allowed to tell her who her father is." Iko nodded. "Then, one day, the accident happened…"

* * *

 _Years ago…_

* * *

Iko was in his apartment complex, looking through his notes, as he looked up through the window. Outside, he saw all the other fathers playing with their kids. He couldn't help but sigh, as he pulled something out of his pocket; a small black box, and inside was a small diamond ring.

"I'm going to do it tomorrow." Iko declared silently. "I'm going to ask her to marry me!"

Suddenly, the phone rang, snapping out of his thoughts. Walking over to it, he then picked the phone up.

"Hello?"

"Iko?" The voice from the other end said. "It's me; Sojiro?"

"Sojiro? What's wrong?"

"Something happened to Wakaba…" Sojiro said, pausing a bit. "It's…best if you come and see for yourself."

Iko immediately felt his heart sink. Something bad had happened to Wakaba, yet he wasn't told, until now.

"I'm on my way!"

Slamming the phone down, Iko rushed outside, drive is Honda as fast as he could, before arriving at Wakaba's house, where Sojiro was standing next to an ambulance outside, and he seemed to be arguing with one of the drivers. Parking his car and getting out, Iko made his way over, seeing a stuffed body bag on a stretcher.

"Sojiro-san, I came as soon as I got your call!" Iko said. "What happened?"

"Like I said, something happened to Wakaba." Sojiro said solemnly, gesturing over to the body bag. "That's her in there."

"You mean…in the body bag?" Iko shook, almost in denial. "I must see for myself!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but you can't." The paramedic said, crossing his arms. "Boss says no one's allowed to see the body."

"Why not?" Iko demanded "I demand to know what happened!"

"A suicide, in a fit of maternal psychosis." The man shrugged. "Also blamed that kid of hers for the constant stress. Shame too. Heard she was brilliant."

In a fit of rage, Iko grabbed him by the shirt collar and slammed him against the side of the ambulance, the man shaking with fear.

"Don't lie to me!" Iko growled, tightening his grip. "Wakaba would never blame Futaba like that! And she sure as hell would never kill herself!"

"It's true!" The man fearfully protested, holding up what looked like a note. "This is her suicide note right here!"

Snatching the note from his hand, Iko quickly read it, which only made him angrier.

"This isn't her handwriting!" He yelled, shaking the man. "You're lying! Admit it!"

"I'm not lying!" The man pleaded. "Please sir, show some restraint!"

Iko pulled his fist back, aiming to punch him, only for Sojiro to grab hold.

"Iko, control yourself!" He chided. "You're only making things worse!"

"Let go, Sojiro!" Iko growled. "This swine has the nerve to lie about Wakaba!"

"Violence isn't gonna solve anything!" Sojiro protested sternly. "Think about how Futaba would feel if you got arrested!"

Suddenly, and slowly, Iko calmed down. Thinking about Futaba and her feelings somehow managed to calm him down. Finally, he let the man go, pushing him down onto the sidewalk.

"I need to see the body." He said.

Sojiro nodded, and Iko moved over to the stretcher, looking at the body bag. Mustering up the strength, he unzipped the bag and upon opening it, he was absolutely shocked. Wakaba's body looked like it was hit by a running vehicle, and the eyes were rolled to the back of her head, black substance was leaking from her eyes and mouth.

"My God…" Iko whimpered, tears falling from his face. "Oh Wakaba…"

He felt weak, dropping to his knees. All Sojiro could do was pat his friends back and give an understanding hug.

* * *

 _Back in the present…_

* * *

"Ever since that day, I felt my world fall apart." Iko sighed. "Wakaba, my River Nile, was gone."

"Sensei, I'm so sorry." Makoto said glumly. "It must have been so horrible."

"After the incident, I was immediately hit with a gag order." Iko explained. "Three whole years, unable to say a thing, along with Wakaba's research data being confiscated only put me closer to the edge."

"That is bullshit!" Ryjui snarled, punching his seat. "You were one of the victims in this and you end up the one being forced into silence! That's bullshit!"

"I agree, Sakamoto-kun." Iko nodded. "It seems justice and equality has no meaning anymore."

"What happened next, Proffessor?" Akira asked. "I don't want to reopen old wounds, but we would like to hear your story."

"I'll be fine, Kurusu-san, but I need to get this off my chest." Iko said. "After that, Futaba's custody was tossed between from one uncaring relative to another, one of them being an uncaring uncle."

"Youji Isshiki." Sojiro said spitefully. "If you had met him, Iko, no doubt he'd be in a lot of pain."

"I'm glad you took her into your custody, Sojiro." Iko smiled, but frowned when he turned to Futaba. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you as a father."

Futaba seemed upset, slowly rising from her seat.

"I want to believe you, I really do." She said, looking at Iko, a bit accusatory. "But you waited until three years later…Three. Freaking. Years. Until you revealed who you really are. After all I went through, after all that Sojiro went through, you waited until now!"

"I wasn't sure how things would turn out, at the time." Iko retorted. "Plus, I was grieving over Wakaba's death. After the gag order was put on me, there was nothing I could do!"

"You could've taken custody over me first!" Futaba yelled, tears welling up in her eyes. "You could've saved me from those rotten adults, but you just stood on the sidelines and did nothing!"

"I tried, but everyone ignored me!" Iko countered. "No matter what I did or said, everyone just pushed me down!" Tears formed in his eyes. "All those years I've spent, in forced silence, unable to find justice for Wakaba, unable to be the father you needed at the time, and unable to do a thing! You can't imagine what that was like!"

"I know exactly what that's like!" Futaba roared, slamming her fist onto the table. " **I had to watch her die**!"

The whole café went silent, only the heavy breathing from Futaba echoed throughout the café, the Thieves and Sojiro unable to think up a response. Futaba's head slumped onto the table, sobbing, as Iko simple brought a hand to her cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears.

"Look at me, Futaba." He said softly.

Futaba slowly looked up, her watery eyes set on Iko.

"I've made many mistakes, Futaba, but you are not one of them." He said softly. "Please give me the chance to be the father she would want me to be."

Futaba looked at him, as the tears began to fall from her face, as she jumped at him with a hug, burying her face into his chest, sobbing.

"It's okay, Futaba-chan." Iko soothed, gently rubbing her head. "Let it all out."

The Thieves looked from one another, before Ryuji spoke up.

"Uhhh…should we give you guys a moment?"

"No, do not worry." Iko assured. "It's just something she needs to let out."

"Take your time, professor." Akira advised.

After a few minutes, Futaba lifted her head up, tears stained on her cheeks. Iko took a wet rag and gently cleaned her face.

"Better?" He asked.

"A little bit." Futaba nodded, before hugging him again.

The two separated and Futaba went back to her seat, then Iko looked up.

"I suppose it's back to the story now." He said. "But first, if you don't mind, I'd like to make a call."

"To who?" Makoto asked.

"Some confidants of my own, who helped me on my journey." Iko declared. "I believe it's best if they helped out with telling this story with me."

"If it helps, sure." Akira nodded.

Rising from his seat, Iko pulled out his cell phone and made the call.

"Hey, you there?" He said into the device. "I need you to stop by Leblanc." He said nothing, before speaking into the device again. "Yeah, I'm sure. These guys are the real deal. I believe it's worth speaking to them." There was silence again, and he spoke again. "Okay, great. And bring Jessamine, will you?"

Nodding, he put the phone away, then returned to his seat.

"My assistant should be here shortly." He explained, putting a hand to his chin. "Now, where was I?"

"The part in your story, where you…ya know?" Ryuji said.

"Ah yes." Iko mused. "Now, as I was saying…"

And Iko continued telling his story, and the Thieves were listening intently.

* * *

 **I apologize if this chapter seems a bit rushed; I wanted to take my time writing this. But the next chapter, we'll see Iko's awakening and the introduction of two new characters! Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! And be sure to review, I want honest feedback, helpful ones too! By the way, Persona commissions are still open!**


	3. A Fathers Awakening

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Three: A Fathers Awakening

For the next few hours, the Thieves told Iko about some of their own adventures in the Metaverse, stealing distorted treasures from Palaces and changing hearts and helping those in need, and Iko listened intently, enjoying their tale very much.

"I'm impressed you kids went through all that." Iko chuckled. "So many life threatening situations."

"Tis but a small price to pay, for the life we live." Yusuke remarked.

"Anyways, who's the assistant you were talking about?" Makoto asked.

"He's a friend who helped me out greatly in the past." Iko declared. "After Wakaba's death, he helped me with my research and other important tasks."

Suddenly, the café door opened, ringing the bell.

"Speaking of, there he is now." He remarked, turning his head to the door.

The Thieves looked towards the door, and Akira, Ryuji and Makoto gasped at who walked in. The young man was about the same age as the young teens, having pale skin, dark red hair that was short and bright red eyes, wearing a pair of blue jeans, a red t-shirt, a pair of blue sneakers, and wore a black leather jacket and was carrying a brown school bag.

"Wassup, laddies?" He greeted in a not so Irish accent.

"Donnel Callahan?!" Makoto gasped. "Why are you here?!"

"Because the boss asked me to." Donnel shrugged, looking towards Iko. "Good to see ya again, by the way."

"You as well, Donny." Iko nodded. "Now, did you bring Jessamine with you?"

"Aye, and I wish you didn't." Donnel frowned, setting the bag on the table. "That little mangy stray has a way of getting on me nerves."

"Who're you calling a stray, you Irish cunt?"

Everyone looked toward the bag that was sat upon the table and a medium sized Egyptian Mau with a pink collar hopped out of the bag and onto the table.

"Did that cat just talk?" Yusuke asked, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, Morgana can talk, yet you're surprised by me?" The cat remarked. "Yeah, I can talk and am continuing to do so."

"Another talking cat." Ryuji groaned. "Just our luck."

"Everyone, this is Jessamine." Iko introduced. "She's been our mentor and teammate, as Morgana is to you."

"Don't forget an expert in everything about the Metaverse!" Jessamine declared proudly. "Iko may be the professional when it comes to cognitive psience, but I'm the pro of the Metaverse!"

"So, you're kinda like me, in a way?" Morgana asked, hopping onto the table.

"Yeah, only better." Jessamine snorted. "Anything you do, Morgy, I can do better. Faster too!"

"Now Jessamine, there's no need to rub it in anyone's faces now." Iko frowned. "We're here to give our side of the story, not rub in our victories."

"Right, my bad." Jessamine sighed, hopping into Iko's lap.

"So, how did you find Jessamine?" Haru asked. "For as long as we've known, Morgana-chan was the only talking cat we've known."

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a cat?" Morgana groaned.

"Don't worry, Morgy, I get called that a lot too." Jessamine assured, before turning toward Donnel with a disdainful scowl. "A little too often though."

"Anyways," Iko started, gaining everyone's attention. "A few months later, after what happened to Wakaba, I had inherited her home, according to a will she had left behind…"

* * *

 _Years ago…_

* * *

Iko sat alone in the house, sitting at a desk, looking over some papers from work. He had recently inherited Wakaba's house, according to a will she had left behind. Apparently, Wakaba knew something like this would happen, so she had prepared a will. How she knew what would happen, Iko had no idea. Regardless, he moved in from his old apartment complex and into the house, a big, blue house with fine furniture, a living room, a dining room, a garage where he parked his Honda, a roomy kitchen area, an upstairs, two bedrooms downstairs and one upstairs, two bathrooms downstairs and one upstairs, and there was an additional room that served as Wakaba's work area.

Sometimes, whenever Iko would stay over, he would take the room upstairs, putting some use into the extra rooms in an otherwise large house. Though Wakaba did enjoy Iko's company, despite the affection the two shared, she simply wasn't ready to tell Futaba or anyone, asides Sojiro, about who her father was, much to Iko's sadness.

As for Futaba's custody, however, it wasn't the quickest nor the best. She was tossed from one uncaring relative to another, until the last to hold custody over her was her uncle, a brother of Wakaba, yet that was somehow even worse. He didn't even treat her like a person, more like an animal, barely feeding her, making her sleep on the floor, and even not letting her have a proper shower, much to Iko's outrage. Finally, after a long hard fought battle, Sojiro won custody over Futaba. Iko had volunteered to take custody of Futaba, but Sojiro sternly refused, much to Iko's outrage. Iko still remembered how it went…

* * *

 _A few weeks prior…_

* * *

"What do you mean I can't?!" Iko demanded, outraged.

The two were standing outside the house, while Sojiro's car was parked on the side of the road, with Futaba sitting in the back seat.

"Look, I know you're upset, I really do," Sojiro said, his arms crossed. "But you're just not ready."

"Not ready for what?!" Iko yelled. "To be Futaba's father?! To take responsibility?!"

"Exactly!" Sojiro exclaimed sternly. "You're not ready for the responsibility! Wakaba's death has left you emotionally unstable!" He then gestured to his appearance. "And on top of that, look at yourself! You look like you've been sleeping in a dumpster for the past few weeks! Your hair is a mess, your eyes are blood shot, and you've grown a beard that you usually wouldn't have. Iko, you're a MESS!"

Iko's expression fell. He knew Sojiro was right.

"Iko, I know you want to take responsibility, for Wakaba's sake, I really do," Sojiro sighed. "But you're in no shape to look after anyone right now."

"What am I supposed to do then?" Iko asked.

"Start by pulling yourself together." Sojiro explained. "Get some rest, focus on your work, and clean yourself up. Do this not just for Wakaba or Futaba, but for yourself as well."

Iko could see the concern and sincerity in his friend's eyes. He knew Sojiro was right. As much as Iko wanted to take responsibility, Sojiro was right. Iko wasn't ready for it.

"Alright." Iko sighed in defeat. "I'll…take your word."

"Thank you." Sojiro smiled, hugging his friend. "I promise it'll do you some good."

"As long as you take care of Futaba." Iko said. "If anything happens to her…"

"I'll take good care of her." Sojiro swore. "You have my word."

After exchanging hugs and goodbyes, Sojiro got in his car and drove off slowly, Iko taking one last look at Futaba in the back seat. As the car disappeared in the distance, Iko sighed sadly, before going back into the house.

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

Since that day, Iko did his best to pull himself together, making sure he bathed proper, ate healthy and focused on his research. He seemed to be doing fine, on the outside, but deep inside, he was still hurting, still mourning over Wakaba's death, lamenting over his loss of a woman he was about to propose to. Despite how he looked outside, deep down, he was in pain.

As he drifted in his thoughts, a knock on the door snapped him from his trance. Reluctantly, he rose from his desk and tiredly made his way to the front door. Twisting the knob, he slowly opened the door, revealing an American man in a Japanese police uniform. His skin was tanned and his hair was brown, his figure was slim and a bit scrawny. He also carried what Iko assumed to be a cage with a blanket covering it.

"Afternoon, Iko." The officer greeted with a curtly nod, removing his police cap.

"Hello, Jimmy." Iko greeted, stoically, his voice still a bit gravely.

"I see you've settled in nicely," Jimmy remarked.

"Yeah, it's been easy, for the most part." Iko nodded.

"Right." Jimmy nodded. "Well, aside from the house, Wakaba also left this for you." He placed the cage at Iko's feet. "Something to look after…and I'm sorry for your loss."

Putting his cap back on his head, Jimmy turned and left, leaving Iko to look at the thing put in front of him. When they first met, Jimmy was still a rookie police trainee, who was easily intimidated by Iko's presence, but over time, he quickly got used to him, with Iko giving him a slightly friendlier image. Not wanting to leave it on the porch, Iko picked it up by the handle on top and carried it into the house, closing the door behind him.

Setting the object on the dining room table, then began removing the blanket, revealing it to indeed be a cage, and inside the cage was an Egyptian Mau with a pink collar around its neck and had dark purple eyes.

Iko also noticed there was a green envelop on the cage. Taking the envelop, he took something out, revealing it to be a letter, from Wakaba. This time, it was indeed her handwriting. Along with it was what looked like a flash drive. He began to read the letter.

* * *

 _Iko,_

 _If you are reading this, then the worst has befallen me. There is so much I wanted to tell, but time was not on my side. I will be brief; there is something more going on than we realize something much more. Inside this envelop, I've left you a copy of my research, every last bit. Protect it with your life. I've also left behind a friend for you to look after, to love. Because the car doesn't count. And promise to look after Futaba. Be the father for her that you wanted to be._

 _Yours always, Wakaba._

* * *

Iko felt tears run down his face, as if he was about to sob again. The cat just laid there inside its cage, wondering if its master will ever let it out of the cage.

Sighing and wiping his face clear of tears, he opened the cage door and allowed the cat to crawl out, turning its head from left to right, checking its surroundings, before crawling onto Iko's lap, its paws pressed against his chest, its head inches away from Iko's.

Iko looked down a bit, spotting the tag attached to the cats caller, a name printed onto the tag.

* * *

 _Jessamine._

* * *

"Interesting name." Iko remarked, petting the small animal's head. "I wonder where Wakaba got you anyway."

The cat purred, then jumped onto the floor, looking around, before going to another room to explore.

Chuckling, Iko decided to turn in early. Heading up to his upstairs room, grabbing some pajama clothes and setting them on a nearby couch, then took a quick shower. After dressing for bed, he climbed into his bed, looking up at the ceiling.

As he tried to drift off to sleep, he noticed the cat walk into the room, looking around, then jumped up onto the bed, giving Iko the cutest look on its face.

"Let me guess, you want to join in?" He asked.

The cat simply walked over to where he lay and laid upon his chest.

"I'll take that as a yes." Iko sighed, before feeling his eyelids get heavy, before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

 _Somewhere, in another place…_

* * *

Iko's eyes flashed open with a start, quickly sitting up with sweat running down his forehead. A quick look at his surroundings immediately said that he wasn't in his house anymore. Instead of his bedroom, he was inside a tent, and lay upon a small, comfortable bed, a small desk next to it.

"Where am I?" Iko wondered aloud. "A tent?"

"I see you have awakened."

Iko turned to where the voice came from, and standing at the entrance was a young man, dressed in Roman robes, with a golden leaf headdress on his head, having short brown hair and green eyes.

"Who are you?" Iko asked, a bit confused.

"I am Angelus." The man greeted, before moving the drape. "Now, come. My master would wish to meet with you."

Getting to his feet, Iko noticed that he was no longer in his pajama wear. Instead, he was wearing what looked like Egyptian robes.

"When did I change into this?" Iko asked, finding himself to be oddly relaxed in it.

"Just something for you to feel comfortable in." Angelus said.

Iko followed the messenger to a large tent. Upon entering, Iko saw a woman, looking out the opening of the tent. Inside the tent, there were pillows, shelves piled high with books and a small table at the center of the tent.

"I've been expecting you, Trickster."

The woman turned around, and much to Iko's shock, she looked exactly like Wakaba, before her death. Same hair, same eyes, same skin, same _everything_. The only thing that was different was her attire; instead of her typical lab clothes, she wore a robe worn by an Egyptian queen.

"Wakaba?" Iko gasped. "Is that really you?!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Trickster." Wakaba(?) shooked her head, her voice much deeper, more elderly sounding. "The Wakaba you once knew has passed on."

"Then who are you?" Iko asked, skeptical. "And why do you look like Wakaba?"

The Wakaba copy only smiled, slowly walking towards him. As she did so, Iko could feel a heavy amount of pressure coming from her very being. Powerful, massive.

"I am the Titan, Gaia, the ever present mother of Earth." The lookalike said, spreading her arms out. "And I have chosen this form so that I may communicate with you better. And I was under the impression that this form would make you comfortable." She walked around Iko, sizing him up. "For the past few years, this Wakaba had guided you, taught you, and even loved you."

"I don't understand…"

"All in due time, Trickster." Gaia said, standing in front of him once more. "All you should know right now is that there is a terrible calamity that will soon swallow your world, unless you can stop it."

"Trickster? Calamity?" Iko repeated. "What're you talking about?"

Suddenly, a ringing noise began ringing out.

"I'm afraid we must continue this another time." Gaia sighed. "Worry not, Trickster, for we will speak more, should time allow it."

Before Iko could respond, his vision went dark, blacking him out.

* * *

Iko sat up in his bed with a gasp, and sweat pouring down his forehead. He looked around the room, relieved to be back in his own room.

"What was that weird dream?" He wondered. "Calamity? Trickster? What could it all mean?"

He sighed, but before he could attempt to fall back asleep, he heard a harsh 'meow'. Turning his head, he saw Jessamine, sitting at the foot of the bed, giving him a stern glare.

"What's the matter?" He asked. "Did I wake you?"

The cat simply hissed at him.

"Well, excuse me for having weird dreams." Iko rolled his eyes, patting on a spot next to him on the bed. "Come here, you."

The cat crawled next to him, curling up at his side, as the two drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 _The next morning…_

* * *

Iko woke up the next morning, stretching his limbs. Getting out of bed, and after a quick shower, he ate a small breakfast and got dressed in his usual work clothes, a pair of black slacks, black dress shoes and a white button up shirt. Picking up his bag, he made for the door, when the cat sat at his feet.

"What's with you today?" He asked, raising a brow.

The cat only meowed in response, as Iko looked over at the calendar.

"Oh, that's right." Iko sighed. "It's 'bring your pet to work' week. Still not sure how that became a real thing."

The cat meowed, hopping into Iko's bag.

"Just don't make a mess of my papers." He warned. "And don't wander off on your own."

Iko got in the car and drove on to his workplace, a large building that was ten stories tall, with several windows and a large parking lot next door.

Picking a spot, Iko stepped out, gazing at the building before him. He pulled out his phone to check the time, when he found a strange app has been installed onto his phone. It was an eerie red-eyed icon that pulsated a bit.

"What kind of app is this?" Iko thought. "Some new update or something?"

Suddenly, the app expanded, practically taking up the entire screen, much to Iko's surprise and annoyance. He tried tapping it several times, with no effect.

…At least, not in the way he expected.

Suddenly, everything and everyone around him stopped moving, much to his shock and bewilderment.

"What in the world is this?!" Iko said, baffled at his stand-still surroundings.

Looking around, his sights set onto the sidewalk, as an unbelievable spectacle appeared before his vary eyes; a massive bright blue flame flickered in front of him. Looking in, he saw what he could've sworn was a mirror image of himself, like he was looking into a mirror, except this mirror image looked at him with yellow eyes and a sinister grin.

Then suddenly, in the blink of an eye, it was gone, along with the blue flame, as motion returned to the world once more.

"What in the world was that?" Iko questioned, shocked at what he just saw.

He looked at his phone again, seeing the app had shrunken down.

'Must be a virus.' Iko thought. 'If phone apps can give you weird drug trips.'

He considered deleting the app, but his curiosity got the better of him.

'Maybe I'll hold onto it, for now.' Iko decided, putting his phone back in his pocket. 'It could use some looking into.'

Picking up his bag, which carried his important documents, and the cat apparently, he entered the building, seeing the other employee's and researchers roaming about, all with their own pet for the week.

"Guess we weren't the only ones with the same idea, huih?" Iko remarked, getting a meow from the cat.

Indeed, some of the other employee's brought their own pet, the occasional dog, cat or hamster, but some other pets are more different, like snakes, toads, and even the occasional hawk or owl.

Smirking, Iko simply walked past them, some of the other researchers greeted him or complimented his cat, and some even gave him their sympathies on his loss.

Iko chose to ignore them all, as he made his way to his office. Opening the door, he was greeted by the sight of young Donnel Callahan, wearing typical work clothes.

"Ah, hello, Professor!" Donnel declared, rising from his seat. "It's an honor to finally meet you!"

"Who the hell are you?" Iko asked bluntly.

"Donnel Callahan, sir! From Ireland!" Donnel declared, holding his hand out. "I'm to be your new assistant!"

"New assistant, huh?" Iko mused, then shook his hand. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have a bit of extra help."

He sat his bag in the chair, and Jessamine hopped out and onto the desk.

"Aw, what a beautiful cat!" Donnel squealed.

"Wakaba left it for me." Iko said.

"Oh, I see." Donnel frowned. "I'm sorry for your loss, sir."

"Futaba's the one who deserves your apology." Iko grunted. "She suffered far worse than me."

"I understand, the poor girl." Donnel sighed. "I heard how it happened. How could those rotten people in suits be so cruel to a child?"

Before Iko could answer, there was a bang on the door. Before either of them could even give the person outside permission to enter, the door quickly slid open, revealing a built Russian man, with a handlebar mustache and short black hair and wore a black suit.

"Ah, hello, Professor!" He greeted loudly in a thick Russian accent. "It's good to finally meet you!"

"And you are…?" Iko asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Vladimir Kraven." The Russian declared proudly. "Famed mercenary and the best hunter in Russia!" He then smirked. "And possibly, your new bodyguard."

"Excuse me?" Iko asked.

"A recommendation from Shido, my good Egyptian." Vladimir declared, ignoring a stern glare from Iko. "He suggested that you remain under proper guard, as to not lose another brilliant researcher." He then frowned. "A shame, really. I heard that Wakaba was a brilliant-"

"No. Now leave."

Vladimir did a double take at Iko's sudden answer.

"Why?" He asked.

"You mentioned Wakaba." Iko said bluntly, venom in his tone. "Now, get out."

Vladimir looked towards Donnel, who only shrugged, then moved towards the door, only to turn towards Iko.

"I hope that you change your mind soon, Iko." Vladimir warned. "You never know when someone may make an attempt on your life."

And with that, he left, leaving the two to their work.

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"This Vladimir guy sounds like a total prick." Ryuji said bluntly.

"He most certainly was an arrogant one as well." Yusuke nodded.

"Throughout the whole day, Vladimir continued to harass me about employing him, no matter how many times I told him 'no'." Iko sighed. "He was arrogant and acted superior and looked down upon everyone."

"Sounds like someone I knew, back at Shujin." Ann growled, Kamoshida coming to mind.

"And he had the nerve to make that kind of threat to you." Makoto added.

"Anyways, back to the story." Iko said. "Now, for the past few days was just work and Vladimir harassing me, so let's skip ahead to when I first entered the Metaverse, and awakened to my Persona…"

* * *

 _Years ago…_

* * *

"Are you sure things are going well?" Iko asked Riku, his fellow researcher and good friend.

When Iko first started working under Wakaba, Riku became good friends with him. After Wakaba died, Riku gave his condolences and donated a large sum of money to Iko.

"You have nothing to fear, my friend." Riku assured, pushing his shoulder length black hair out of his face. "The research is going smoothly. Much more so, since you took over as head researcher."

"Make sure it stays that way." Iko declared. "We can afford no delays."

"You got it, boss." Riku nodded, smiling, then left the office.

Alone, Iko sighed.

"All that for a single report." He said to himself.

Jessamine jumped out of the bag and meowed, rubbing against Iko.

"Well at least you cheer me up." Iko smiled, petting the cat.

At that moment, Donnel entered the room.

"Hello, boss!" He declared, holding up a small paper bag. "Hope yer hungry!"

"I could use a bite, sure." Iko shrugged.

The two sat down and ate their brunch, Iko having a small salad with a side of bacon, while Donnel had the sausage biscuit with cheese, while the cat had some cat food that Iko packed.

"Same thing just a different day, eh?" Donnel spoke up.

"You can say that." Iko shrugged again.

"Vladimir still buggin' you?" Donnel asked.

"More like stalking me." Iko growled. "I swear, he's like some predator in a jungle! He just doesn't know when to take no for an answer!"

"That might be, but you're the one who runs the Advanced Research Facility." Donnel pointed out. "You can always just kick him out."

"He'll just keep coming back." Iko said. "No doubt he's on Shido's payroll, just to try and earn my trust and steal my research."

For the past year, Shido had been bothering Iko, constantly, trying to pay him off to share his research findings. Every time, Iko would tell him no and to not bother him again, else he'd take this matter to court. Shido would just laugh away his threats.

'The police are my bitches and no one dares to cross me.' Shido would say. This was a sad but true fact, due to his status in the political world.

"Why not call the police?" Donnel suggested.

"They're no doubt on Shido's payroll as well." Iko countered. "Plus, they'll be too frightened of Shido to even think of restraining one of his best men."

"Well, I'm sure we'll think of something." Donnel said, rising from his seat. "Anyways, we've got work to return to."

Iko nodded, but as soon as he was about to get up, his phone vibrated violently. Curious, Iko pulled it out and was shocked to see that the weird app has expanded on his screen again.

"Now what's with this thing?" Iko growled, furiously tapping the screen, ignoring what the app was saying.

"Vladimir…research facility…jungle." His phone chimed. "Beginning navigation."

"Navigation?" Iko repeated, catching the last thing the phone chimed. "What kind of app is this?!"

"Everything alright, professor?" Donnel asked.

Before Iko could answer, they both felt a sharp pain in their heads and a dizzy feeling.

"Ugh…my head." Iko groaned, rubbing the side of his head with two of his fingers. "What the hell was that?!"

"Everything is spiiiiinnnnnniiiiiinnnngggg…" Donnel moaned, barely able to keep his balance.

Jessamine went up to Iko and rubbed against his leg, meowing worriedly.

"It's okay, Jessie." Iko assured, rubbing his little friends head. "Just a slight migraine is all."

"Well, whatever it was, it must've affected the others too." Donnel declared, shaking off his dizziness and reaching for the door. "We should check on the others."

Agreeing, the two opened the door, and were shocked to find that the two had not exited into the hallway of their workplace, but into a lush forest.

Suddenly, the door slammed shut, locking behind them.

"What the hell?!" Donnel cried, trying to pull the door open, but to no avail. "The door's locked!"

"I think the better question," Iko began, observing his surroundings. "Would be 'where the hell are we?'."

The jungle they had entered was full of lush green trees that reached up to the skies, blocking the sunlight, with only a few rays shined through the leaves. The ground was littered with fallen dead leaves and fallen logs and branches.

"To be honest, I have no idea." Donnel admitted, looking around. "But the facility sure does renovate fast."

"Now's not the time to be joking around!" Cried out a feminine voice.

The two froze up, surprised by the voice that seemed to have come from nowhere.

"Uh…boss?" Donnel spoke up. "Did your voice suddenly get girlish?"

"That wasn't me, Donney." Iko clarified.

"Then who was it?" Donnel asked.

"Down here!" The voice declared.

The two turned and looked down, seeing a small cartoonish cat that stood on two feet, its head bigger than its body, had big, dark purple eyes and wore a pink neck bandana, along with a utility belt and a white mask that covered the top of its head.

"Took you boys long enough!" The cartoon creature huffed. "I expected this from the Irish cunt, who doesn't even sound Irish, but not from _you_ Iko!"

"What?!" Donnel did a double take, before narrowing his eyes at the creature. "What did you just call me?!"

"And how do you know my name?" Iko asked, raising a brow.

"Do you honestly not recognize me, Iko?" The cat said, frowning. "It's me; Jessamine!"

"What?" Iko gasped, shocked. "Jessamine? But how?! You're a cat!"

"It's difficult to explain, but we have to get out of here!" Jessamine said. "I need you guys to follow me!"

"Why?" Donnel asked. "What's going on?!"

"I'll explain on the way!" Jessamine said, waving to her direction. "But you guys need to follow me!"

"Why should we trust you?" Iko asked, skeptical.

"Don't you trust me, Iko?" Jessamine asked, a look of hurt on her face. "I'm the only thing left of Wakaba! I've loved you, like I loved Wakaba! Why should you doubt me now?!" She put her paws together, pleading. "Please, Iko! You have to trust me!"

Iko looked at her and could see the sincerity in her eyes. He had his suspicions, but he knew if he wanted to get out of this jungle, he would have to trust this cat.

"Alright, I understand." He sighed.

"Then…" Jessamine began.

"I trust you." Iko nodded. "But I expect a full explanation, once we get out."

"Boss, you can't be serious." Donnel frowned.

"At this point, she's our best chance of knowing what's going on." Iko explained. "We need her. Trust me on this, Donnel."

Donnel looked toward Jessamine, then to Iko, then sighed.

"Alright, fine." He said. "I'll go along with this."

"Thank you, Donnel." Iko smiled, then turned to Jessamine. "All right, Jessie; lead the way."

"Thank you, Iko." Jessie smiled. "Now, follow me!"

The two followed Jessamine through the thick forest, hopping over fallen trees and navigating their way through, until after a few minutes of hiking through the forest when they arrived at a clearing.

"We should be getting closer to the exit!" Jessamine declared.

"Listen, I know we said we would trust you, little kitty," Donnel started, stopping in his tracks. "But I'm sick of not knowing what the fuck is happening!"

"I'm afraid I'm with Donnel on this one, Jessamine." Iko nodded in agreement. "We're not going a foot further until we know what this place is."

"I suppose there's no point in dodging the subject any longer." Jessamine sighed, turning to the two. "Basically, you guys aren't standing in the real world anymore. You're in the Metaverse."

"I remember helping Wakaba research about this." Iko mused. "Something about studying the human subconsciousness, right?"

"For a scientist, you tend to not recall much, do you?" Jessamine remarked jokingly. "But yes. And what you two are standing in right now is something called a Palace."

"A palace?" Donnel repeated. "This doesn't make much sense to me!"

"I've done research about this in the past." Iko declared. "According to Wakaba's findings, a Palace is the manifestations of someone's distorted desires."

"Now you've got it covered, Iko." Jessamine smirked.

"But if this is a palace, who's the ruler?" Iko asked.

"I believe it belongs to that Vladimir guy you mentioned earlier." Jessamine pointed out. "Something about him being a predator of a jungle?"

"That's cause he is," Donnel growled. "That bastard doesn't know when to take no for an answer!"

"Oh yeah, because he was harassing Iko about hiring him," Jessamine said, turning to Iko. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Iko."

"Enough about me, what about you?" Iko declared, changing the subject. "Of all my knowledge about the Metaverse, you are probably the most mysterious. What kind of cat are you? And how do you change form like this?"

"Well, I suppose you should know." Jessamine sighed. "It's hard to explain, but…I was created by Wakaba."

"Wakaba…" Iko repeated. "But how?"

"She had many enemies," Jessamine explained. "She feared that someone may attempt to assassinate her. Be it in reality or in the Metaverse. So, she created me in her mind, with all her hope and love for you, as a failsafe, to protect her Shadow Self from any harm."

"What went wrong?" Iko asked, not liking where this was going.

"One day, I traveled to Mementos to protect her Shadow." Jessamine continued. "But when I got there, someone in a black mask attacked." Her face twisted with grief, like she was about to break down in tears. "I tried my best to fight him off, but he was just too strong. In the end, he…" She dropped to her knees, tears streaming down her face. "He just gunned her down without a second thought! And he just laughed at what he did, like it was some sick, twisted thing to be proud of!"

She started crying, Iko and Donnel simply watched, both feeling sorry for the cat creature. Especially Iko, who loved Wakaba, and he could tell that Jessamine was mourning her failure to protect Wakaba. Kneeling down, he gently petted Jessamine.

"Did she say anything?" Iko asked. "Any last words?"

"She…she asked me to look after you." Jessamine hiccupped. "I'm sorry, Iko. I'm so so sorry."

"Hey, chin up, Jessie." Iko assured, picking her up into a hug. "We're doing fine right now, at least." Jessamine's eyes met his. "Once we get out of here, we'll discuss what happens next."

Jessamine dried up her tears, then smiled.

"Yeah, you're right!" She nodded, then hopped onto the ground with newfound confidence. "We're almost at the exit! Follow me!"

And with that, the trio continued on, trekking through the forest, before entering another clearing, where they could see the exit of what looked like a set of pillars.

"Look, there it is!" Jessamine pointed. "You can see the parking lot!"

"Thank goodness." Iko sighed. "And here I thought-"

Suddenly, Iko felt a sharp pain enter his back. In pain, he collapsed onto the dirt, much to the shock of his friends.

"Boss!"

"Iko!"

The two rushed to his side, both fearing for him.

"What the hell…" Iko wheezed, in pain. "Was that?"

Suddenly, the three heard a dark chuckle come from the forest, as the assailant emerged from the foliage. The assassin wore dark clothing and a black mask that covered his face, hiding his identity, and he carried a pistol with a silencer attachment.

"What do we have here?" The figured chuckled darkly, fiddling with his pistol. "A couple of lost pups and a kitten?"

"The bloody hell are you?!" Donnel demanded.

The dark figure only chuckled darkly, holding up his pistol.

"The last thing you'll ever see." He said, pointing his pistol at them. "Now, just lie down and die. I promise it'll be quick."

"NO!" Jessamine screamed, jumping in front of them. "I won't let you hurt them!"

"You again?" The figure looked at her quizzically. "Haven't you had enough humiliation for one day?"

"Shut up, dickwad!" Jessamine shouted, standing defiantly.

"Damn, kitty got quite the mouth." Donnel remarked, taken aback.

"I'm in a good mood today, kitty, so I tell you what," The figure said, his arms spread out. "How 'bout a deal? You let me kill your little friends and I'll let you walk away. If not…" He then chuckled. "Well, we both know how this'll end. Or did you forget the last time we played?"

"I underestimated you last time, bastard!" Jessamine growled. "I know your tricks now!"

"And yet you make the same mistake." The figure shooked his head, tutting. "If you had just been smarter, I wouldn't have had to humiliate you in front of your master."

"Jessamine, what is he talking about?" Iko asked, no longer in such pain as he was earlier, though his back still hurts.

"You want to know who was responsible for Wakaba's murder, Iko?" Jessamine asked, then pointed a paw at the assassin. "Then look no further than the bastard that stands before you!"

"What?" Iko choked in disbelief, as he turned his gaze to the assassin. "Him? How?!"

"Quite easily, my friend." The assassin said simply. "After a few years of learning your way around the Metaverse, you learn a few tricks."

"Those tricks won't save you this time!" Jessamine declared with determination, the struck an epic pose. "Come! **Phoolan Devi** **!** "

Suddenly, in a burst of blue flame, appeared a female Indian bandit a red headband appeared, holding a hunting rifle.

"What the bloody hell is that?!" Donnel gasped, shocked at the sight.

"I've never seen anything like this in all my years of research." Iko admitted in awe.

"This is what's called a _**Persona**_!" Jessamine yelled proudly. "A manifestation of one's inner rebellion!"

The dark figure only laughed.

"You call that a Persona?" He asked mockingly. "Let me show you what a _real_ Persona looks like." A dark flame started crackling behind him. "Come! **Loki!** "

Then, in a burst of black flame, his Persona appeared, its body large covered with a dazzling black and white design, a pair of horns extending from the eyes, and sat upon a pair of large pliers gripping a hot blade.

"What in the world?!" Iko gasped, unsure of the sight before him.

"Okay, now I know I'm nuts!" Donnel yelled, shocked. "We're trapped in a forest, we're about to see a fight between a talking cat and Pennywise's reject brother!" He looked up at the Personas. "And there are apparently manifestations of an Indian outlaw and an ugly version of the God of mischief!"

"Careful with your words, fool." The figure warned. "This 'clown' still has a bite."

"And this will be your last act!" Jessamine growled, drawing out two rapiers from absolutely nowhere, readying a stance.

The figure only laughed, readying a serrated sword.

"Come then." He cackled, pointing his sword. "I'm going to enjoy humiliating you again!"

Enraged, Jessamine charged at him, swinging her rapiers, only for the assassin to block one with his sword, then jumped over the second when Jessamine tried to cut his legs off.

"Is that all you've got?" The assassin taunted. "I've seen Shadows fight better than you."

Jessamine only roared, then pushed him back, swinging her rapier, cutting his cheek, then sent him back with a head-butt. The assassin stumbled a bit, before wiping the blood from his cheek.

"All that for a single cut?" He said, chuckling. "You've gotten better. For a cat."

The sword fight continued, Iko and Donnel watched on.

"Are you believin' this, Boss?" Donnel asked.

"I'm having a hard time accepting this myself," Iko admitted. "I've never seen such a thing in all my years of research."

The fight continued, then Jessamine managed to land a huge cut across the assassin's chest, causing him to reel back.

"Damn cat!" He growled, his Persona appearing behind him. "You'll pay for that!"

"You're the one that's going to pay, monster!" Jessamine yelled, her Persona appearing behind her. "Phoolan, show our might!"

The bandit queen nodded silently, then unleashed a powerful bullet attack, sending the assassin back a bit, but not much.

"Is that all?" The assassin chuckled, as if unaffected. "Loki, show her true power!"

The God of Mischief said nothing, except swinging its hot iron blade; stinging Jessamine in the chest, pushing her back further.

"Damnit!" She growled, clenching her wound. "Phoolan!"

Phoolan Devi unleashed a powerful gravitational blast, firing it like a scattergun, blowing the assassin back, but he still seemed unfazed.

"Enough games!" The assassins growled, bringing a hand up to his mask. "Eat this!"

Loki unleashed a black magic attack, forcefully sending Jessamine down into the dirt.

"Damn you…!" Jessamine growled, struggling to get up.

"Jessamine!" Iko cried, rushing to the cartoon cat's side.

"Iko, please, run!" Jessamine groaned in pain. "Please, don't let this monster kill you like he did Wakaba."

"No! I won't abandon you!" Iko refused. "I've failed Wakaba, but I won't fail you too!"

"Iko…" Jessamine said, touched by his words.

"Oh, how sweet." The assassin chuckled darkly. "Well, at least you get to reunite with your beloved soon."

"Why?" Iko managed to choke out.

"Hmm?"

"Why did you kill Wakaba?" Iko asked, angry tears running down his face. "She was INNOCENT! She didn't deserve to die!"

"Is that what ails you?" The assassin mused, fiddling with the barrel of his pistol. "Well, I suppose I could shed some light, before you die." He trained his eyes on Iko. "You see, she, like so many others, was corrupt."

"Corrupt?" Iko repeated.

"All she cared about was her research." The assassin spat. "She prided herself and stomped on anyone who stood in her way. Even saw you as nothing but a gold digger."

"That's not true!" Iko denied, though he seemed in doubt.

"And you wanna know what the worst part is?" The assassin asked. "This whole time, you thought she loved you." He stepped up, bending down close, then whispered into his ear. "She only loved the knowledge you had."

"Wakaba…" Iko whimpered, tears running down his face. "She wouldn't…"

"Sad, really." The assassin shrugged, standing up and moving back to the small dirt mound. "You could've been useful." He then sighed, before pointing his pistol at Iko. "Oh well. We can always find someone else."

Before he could pull the trigger, a slingshot bullet struck his hand, knocking the gun from his hand.

"Gah!" He yelped, gripping his hand, glaring at Jessamine, who held a slingshot in her paws. "You little…!"

"Iko, get a hold of yourself!" Jessamine yelled, smacking Iko across the face.

"Ouch!" Iko yelped, his face stinging from the smack.

"Wakaba would never do that to you!" Jessamine cried. "Wakaba loved you and cherished every moment you two spent together! She even told me that she was going to propose to you!"

"She…meant all those things?" Iko asked.

"Of course!" Jessamine declared. "She told me that Futaba wanted you to be her dad! For real!" She placed her paws on his cheeks. "She didn't care that you were a foreigner or that you were poor! She loved you because you loved her, and that you were there for her!"

Iko was touched by what she had said. Knowing that Wakaba always loved him brought some sense of hope for him.

"Enough!" The assassin yelled, retrieving his gun and pointing it at them. "Time for you to die!"

"…I don't think so."

The assassin just looked on, god smacked, as Iko slowly rose to his feet.

"Because of you, years of research was stolen from Wakaba." Iko seethed. "Because of you, Futaba was treated like a monster!" He then roared. "Because of you, Wakaba is dead!" He breathed sharply through his teeth. "I will not lie down and let you take any more innocent lives! And I sure as hell won't let you spit on Wakaba's name anymore!"

At this point, Iko was feeling a flurry of emotions; anger, rage, and something he never thought he'd feel…vengeance.

Suddenly, he clenched his head in agony, as a voice rang within.

" _Ah yes! That's what I was looking for!_ " The feminine voice giggled. " _That rage, the anger, the longing to avenge your love! No longer will you sit in silence, while those responsible walk away without suffering the consequences. If this is your desire, let us form a pact."_

Iko screamed in pain, struggling to stay on his feet.

" _I am thou, thou art I."_ The voice continued. _"Use your rage to smite down your foe and take your vengeance_!"

Suddenly, in a whisk of blue flame, a black Anubis mask appeared on Iko's face, his eyes were glowing a bright golden color.

"What?!" The assassin gasped in disbelief. "Impossible!"

"What the hell is going on?!" Donnel demanded, shocked at what he was witnessing.

"Iko's awakening…" Jessamine simply said, looking on. "To his Persona!"

Iko gripped the mask, ripping it off, the sound off flesh tearing echoed, as Iko screamed in pain. Breathing heavy, Iko looked up towards the assassin, anger in Iko's eyes, as the blue flames engulfed him, burning away the blood, the mask and his clothes.

And from the flames emerged a figure dressed in white, black and gold like an Egyptian Queen, and with large poisonous looking snakes slithering around her arms. She also wore a golden Egyptian mask.

Iko no longer wore his lab coat and work clothes, but clothes worn by an Egyptian king, white bandages covering his body, neck to toe, not showing a bit of skin, and wore golden sandals and golden wrist gauntlets.

"Wha-what the?!" Donnel choked out, unable to comprehend what he was witnessing.

Iko looked up at the Persona behind him, as she glowed with bright radiance.

* * *

 **At this point, play Angels Fall by Breaking Benjamin.**

* * *

" _I am the Queen of the Nile; Cleopatra!"_

She looked down at Iko, her mask hiding her expression.

" _If vengeance is your desire, then use my power to take it!"_

Iko thought for a moment, then his face twisted with determination.

"Yes!" Iko declared. "Lend me your power!"

" _Very well."_ Cleopatra giggled, her snakes hissing viciously. " _Then let us show this fool what it means to suffer!"_

Iko nodded, then turned to the assassin.

"Fool!" The assassin yelled, stepping back. "You won't get the better of me!"

Suddenly, two monsters appeared from the bushes, both looking like Goatmen.

"Kill them!" The assassin yelled. "Don't let a single one of them leave here alive!"

The goatmen baaed, nodding, then advanced on Iko, both baaing for blood.

" _Now is the time, Trickster."_ Cleopatra declared, a golden glaive appeared in Iko's hands. " _Swing your blade! Take your rage out on these monsters!"_

Iko nodded, as the first Goatman jumped at him, only for Iko to easily sidestep it, then he struck it with the end of his weapon, then hoisted himself over it, delivering a swift kick to the monster, then a downward slash with his weapon, knocking the Goatman back.

The second Goatman baaed angrily, eager to shed some blood.

" _Most impressive, Trickster."_ Cleopatra applauded _. "Use my power to unleash your fury!"_

More than happy to, Iko called upon Cleopatra to cast her magic upon the second Goatman, letting loose a powerful light spell that sent it flying.

" _Very impressive, Trickster."_ Cleopatra giggled. " _My power is yours. Destroy these creatures however you wish!"_

Gladly, Iko twirled his glaive and took a fighting stance, as the Goatmen baaed angrily, the first one running towards him, clearly not learning its lesson, so Iko took advantage of its foolishness and sidestepped it once more, then delivered his combo, killing it, then called upon Cleopatra one more time to cast a dark magic spell on the last Goatman.

* * *

 **Song ends.**

* * *

With his foes defeated, Iko turned his angry gaze towards the assassin.

"Now it's your turn!" Iko growled, taking a step forward, but stopped and fell to his knees, out of energy.

"Iko!" Jessamine cried, she and Donnel rushing to his side.

"What's wrong with him?!" Donnel demanded.

"His awakening's left him with little energy!" Jessamine said in a panic.

"How disappointing." The assassin tutted. "And I was looking forward to a real challenge."

"You…" Iko growled, struggling to get to his feet.

"Boss, we need to get out of here!" Donnel said in a panic.

"I can't let this bastard get away!" Iko said through his teeth.

"Iko, you're not strong enough!" Jessamine explained, almost in a pleading way. "Whoever this guy is, he's leagues above you! That and you're not strong enough to take on someone like that!" She looked him in the eyes. "Please, Iko, don't let you anger get the better of you!"

Iko looked into her eyes and, despite his anger and desire to avenge Wakaba, he knew Jessamine was right.

"Fine, damnit." Iko growled, before turning to the assassin. "This isn't over. I will find you."

And with that, the trio escaped through the exit, the assassin only chuckling.

"By all means, take your time." He said in a menacing tone. "I will be waiting…"

* * *

 _In the real world…_

* * *

The three managed to return to the real world, just outside the research building, and Jessamine in her normal cat form, Iko and Donnel catching their breath.

"Finally," Donnel wheezed. "We made it!"

Iko checked himself, seeing that he is back in his regular attire.

"So it seems." He agreed.

Donnel looked back up at the building, scratching his head in confusion.

"What the hell is going on?!" He blurted out.

"You mind keeping your voices down?"

The two looked down towards Jessamine.

"Hey, you're a cat again!" Donnel pointed out.

"Really? I didn't notice." Jessamine said, sarcastically, licking her paws. "This is my normal form in the real world."

"So that was the Metaverse…" Iko mused, pulling out his phone and looking at the app. "How curious. So this app can allow us to enter the Metaverse whenever we please."

"It would seem so." Jessamine nodded.

"Aye, this is too much for me." Donnel groaned, putting a hand to his head. "I didn't sign up for this."

"Would you rather quit?" Iko asked.

"Hell no, are you crazy?" Donnel said, smirking. "Things are just starting to get interesting!" He then frowned. "And after all the crap that assassin said to you, ain't no way I can just walk away!"

"Glad to have you onboard." Iko chuckled, before turning to Jessamine. "But if that was Kraven's palace, how come we haven't run into his Shadow yet?"

"The assassin probably told him to back off." Jessamine shrugged. "Somehow, he must've known where to find us."

"I don't understand this at all." Donnel groaned. "Don't get me wrong, Iko, I'm with you all the way, but this is too confusing for me."

"Let's just retrieve our belongings and head home." Iko suggested. "With luck, no one will notice we were gone."

On agreement, they returned inside, hoping to piece things together.

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"So you awoke to your Persona before any of us?" Ryuji clarified.

"That pretty much sums it up." Iko nodded. "The pain was grave, but in the end, it made me stronger."

"And you met the assassin too." Makoto frowned.

"I did." Iko sighed. "I swore that I would bring him to justice."

"Well, he might be more than you thought he was." Yusuke spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Donnel asked.

"My turn to tell a story." Akira said.

And so, Akira began to tell the tale, Iko, Donnel and Jessamine listening intently.

* * *

 **Finally, another chapter bites the dust! Sorry if the last bit seems a bit rushed, but I know you guys would like to see more of this story, and I really would like to continue with it. Anyways, thanks to my friend, Storyteller54 for his input, go check out his stories and show him some love! Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter, and be sure to review!**

 **Update: I decided to change Jessamine's Persona, so instead of Billy the Kid, it's Phoolan Devi, the Indian bandit Queen. Just thought I'd let everyone know.**


	4. Welcome to the Jungle

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Four: Welcome to the Jungle

For the next few hours, Iko and Donnel listened intently to the teens story, their explanation about the true culprits identity. After they finished, Iko and Donnel were absolutely stunned.

"I'm not sure how to react to this." Iko admitted sadly. "Akechi-kun, the murderer…"

"I still can't believe that he went through with this!" Donnel growled. "How does he hope to justify this?!"

"To be honest, I'm not sure." Akira sighed. "To think that we'd actually be friends…"

"He thought he had all the cards, but he couldn't fool us!" Ryuji boasted.

"That was an impressive and risky plan." Jessamine remarked. "You guys had a large pair to pull off a stunt like that."

"We've tested our luck many times with different opponents over the months." Haru declared. "All thanks to Akira-san's leadership."

"All I did was given directions." Akira said modestly. "It was thanks to our amazing teamwork that we made it this far."

"Modest as always!" Ann smiled, rubbing Akira's back. "That's just how he is!"

Akira blushed at her words a bit.

"Indeed, a true leader, yet always modest." Yusuke nodded in agreement.

"I have to agree." Makoto nodded.

"What about your story…Iko?" Futaba asked, hesitant to call him father. "What happened after you escaped Vladimir's Palace?"

"Well, after we escaped, Donnel, Jessamine and I went to my house at the end of work." Iko continued. "We had to discuss what happened…"

* * *

 _Years ago…_

* * *

After getting off work, the trio managed to get to Iko's house, making sure they weren't followed. After entering Iko's house, the trio sat at the dining room table, discussing what happened.

"This still makes no sense to me." Donnel spoke up.

"Well, I think I can summarize what happened." Iko declared, pulling out his phone and scrolling over to the strange app. "Somehow, this app allows one to access an alternate reality called the Metaverse. We seemed to have stumbled across what's called a Palace, a manifestation of someone's distorted desires."

"I see you're up to snuff on Cognitive Psience, Iko." Jessamine remarked with a smile. "That was in fact Vladimir's Palace we were just in."

"I'm guessing that assassin knew someone would be there, right?" Donnel asked. "Probably told Vlad to back off?"

"That's what I was thinking." Jessamine nodded. "No doubt he wanted to deal with us himself."

"But how did he know where to find us?" Donnel asked.

"Vlad probably told him." Iko growled. "No doubt he complained about my refusal to hire him."

"So he came through with his threat, huh?" Donnel frowned. "People sure sink to low levels."

"Well we need to do something about him!" Jessamine declared. "Shido's just gonna send him after us until he gets what he wants!"

"But how?" Iko asked. "The police wouldn't dare touch him and everyone else is afraid of him."

"There is another way to deal with him…" Jessamine gave a sly grin.

"What do you mean?" Donnel asked.

"Simple, really." Jessamine said. "We just have to infiltrate Vladimir's Palace and steal the source of his distortion; his Treasure."

"His treasure?" Iko repeated.

"Let me explain," Jessamine began. "Deep within a Palace is a Treasure, a physical representation of the Palace owner's wicked or negative thoughts and desires. Probably something the Palace Ruler values in real life."

"You mean if we take the Treasure," Iko said. "His Palace will not only collapse, but he'll leave us alone?"

"More than that, Iko." Jessamine smirked. "Taking his Treasure will also trigger a change of heart, making the host confess their crimes."

"So not only will Vladimir leave us alone," Donnel clarified. "He'll also confess the crimes he committed?"

"That's right." Jessamine nodded. "A confession should be more than enough to put him away for good!"

"I see." Iko mused. "Any drawbacks?"

"Only that you can't kill the Shadow." Jessamine explained. "As you already know, killing the Shadow will result in the person in the real world suffering a mental shutdown."

"Just like Wakaba…" Iko frowned sadly.

"Okay, so here's the deal," Jessamine began. "After work tomorrow, we'll meet in front of the building, then infiltrate the Palace. I can explain how it works on the way in."

"Alright, then it's settled." Iko nodded. "Tomorrow, we'll infiltrate Kraven's Palace and get the basics down." He then turned to Donnel. "Will you be alright heading home?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Donnel nodded. "I always take the shorter routes home, so I won't have a problem getting home."

* * *

After their meeting was concluded, Donnel left for home, Iko prepared to go to bed. After getting in his pajamas, he sat on his bed, with Jessamine sitting beside him.

"Nervous, Iko?" She asked, looking up at him.

"A little bit." Iko shrugged, before petting Jessamine. "But I have you and Donnel by my side, so I have nothing to fear."

"I'm glad to hear that." Jessamine smiled. "Now, you'd best get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow."

And with that, the two went to sleep, to rest for the next day.

* * *

 _Somewhere…_

* * *

Iko woke up with a jolt, finding himself in the same tent he once was when he woke up, and in the same comfortable robes.

"I'm in this place again?" He looked about his surroundings.

"Hello again, Trickster."

He turned to see Angelus standing at the tent tarp.

"You again." Iko got to his feet. "I see now that this is no dream, right?"

"Quite right, Trickster." Angelus nodded. "This place existed between dream and reality, mind and matter." He then gestured to the larger tent. "My master would like to speak with you."

Nodding, Iko followed the messenger to the larger tent, meeting Gaia inside, as she sat at the small table, reading a book.

"I'm glad to see you again, Trickster." She smiled, putting her book to the side.

"Maybe now, you can explain what's going on?" Iko inquired.

"Of course." Gaia agreed, a blue folder appeared in her hand. "But first, I ask that you sign this contract, for it is required for you to have full access to the Velvet Room."

Iko looked about the tent, seeing the velvet red carpets and the color of the tents outside and the dark eternal night sky. Acknowledging this, his picked up a nearby quill and wrote his name on the dotted line, and the contract closed, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Now, the contract is signed." Gaia smiled, a small key appearing in her hand. "This is the key that allows you to enter the Velvet Room as you please. I will always be here, should you require guidance."

Iko accepted the key, taking a moment to look at it, before looking up at Gaia.

"Can you tell me what this all means?" Iko crossed his arms, taking a seat across from Gaia. "We never did have the chance to talk about what you meant."

"True, we did not." Gaia acknowledged. "As you can see, I run this Velvet Room, at the request of my friend, Philemon, to guide the Tricksters on the path."

"Trickster…" Iko repeated. "What does that mean? And who's Philemon?"

"Philemon is the being who lives within the realm of the consciousness and unconsciousness of all souls." Gaia explained. "As for the former, well, that depends on you, really."

Iko could feel Cleopatra giggle from within.

"Trickster could mean anything." Gaia went on, pulling out a deck of what looked like tarot cards, setting several of the cards on the table, each one showing a different image; one was a brawler, one was a bird, another a cowboy and another was a shogun. "One, who deceives, lies, cheats. But for you, it could mean rebel, one who fights against the corrupted authority, one who dares to question what's in front of them."

"Someone who stands out from the crowd," Iko added.

"Exactly." Gaia nodded. "The calamity takes the form of a terrible being with aspirations of godhood, to control the masses and take away their freewill. Only a Trickster, such as yourself, and several others, can fight against this terrible being with the power of Persona."

"Every Persona User is different," Angelus spoke. "Among these Users is a Wild Card, a Persona User capable of using more than one Persona. Unfortunately, you do not have this ability; however, you do have a unique ability to 'capture' Shadows."

"You must prepare for the coming Calamity," Gaia said. "You will be infiltrating the Palace of Vladimir Kraven, a selfish mercenary of arrogance. Be careful how you approach this man." She then grinned. "And, while you're at it, capture two Shadows from his Palace and bring them here and I will show you how it works further."

The ringing sound came once again.

"Once again, our time is up." Gaia sighed. "Perhaps next time, we will have more time to speak."

And with that, Iko's vision was shrouded in blackness, rendering his unconscious again.

* * *

 _Back in the real world…_

* * *

Iko's eyes shot open, though he didn't jolt up like he did when he first encountered Gaia. Looking over, he saw that Jessamine was still asleep, curled up next to him. He couldn't help but smile.

Looking over, he saw the time on his alarm clock; the time was 4:45. It was almost time for morning.

Sighing, Iko decided to go back to sleep to get a few more minutes of rest.

* * *

 _The next morning…_

* * *

Iko woke up with a yawn, stretching his limbs before getting out of bed. After taking a quick shower, he got dressed and picked up his bag with Jessamine propping herself on his shoulder.

"So, today is the day, right?" Iko asked, as he walked out the door.

"That's right." Jessamine nodded. "Today, right after work, we infiltrate Vladimir's Palace and see what we can find. If we come across his Treasure, we take it."

Nodding, Iko got in his car and drove to work.

* * *

Iko parked his car in the parking lot, got out of the car and walked into the building. Thankfully, he was able to avoid Vladimir, and once he got to his office, he sat and waited for Donnel to arrive.

While he waited, he sifted through report after report, until he looked through the research section, looking over other research projects that he and Wakaba were planning to go over. A cure for cancer, researching a way to end world hunger, and even studying space-time theories.

As he looked through the files, he noticed the door slide open, and Donnel entered the room.

"Hey, Boss." Donnel greeted, closing the door. "Back to work as usual, right?"

"For now, yes." Iko nodded. "But right after, we infiltrate Vladimir's Palace and see what we can find. Thankfully, I was able to evade him this morning."

"He must be running late." Jessamine guessed, hoping out of the bag. "Which gives us about 24 hours of bliss."

"Then let's get to work."

And so they went to work, as time flew by.

* * *

Hours later, and it was finally time for the Iko and Donnel to commence Jessamine's plan. Gathering their belongings, they made their way to the door.

"Finally, time to begin the operation." Jessamine began. "Let's just hope we don't run into-"

Before she could finish, the door quickly slid open, revealing a smirking Vladimir.

"Ah, my Egyptian friend." He said with that smirk. "I was looking all over the building for you!"

"Kraven." Iko growled disdainfully. "I was wondering where you've been."

"I have recently forgotten where to find this place, you see." Kraven defended. "Regardless, I'm here now and hope you took consideration to my offer."

"This again?" Iko sighed in annoyance. "How many times do I have to tell you 'no' before you understand?!"

"As many as it takes." Kraven declared arrogantly. "The last thing we need is to lose another brilliant scientist."

"Hey, he said 'no', you Russian cunt!" Donnel spoke up, getting in between them. "And he'll keep givin' ya the same answer until you take a hint!"

"How dare you speak to me like that." Kraven snarled, looking down at Donnel. "Worthless cur like you should know your place! You and every other lowly peasant here is expendable and-"

Suddenly, Donnel struck Kraven in the face with a hard jab, making him stumble back a bit, rubbing his jaw and staring back in shock.

"You…you just hit me…" Kraven stuttered.

"You damned right I did." Donnel snarled. "And I'll do it again if you talk to me like that again."

Kraven only stared back in shock, before his face twisted with anger.

"You little!" He seethed, then angrily turned to the door. "You will pay for this!"

And with that, he stomped out, leaving Iko and Jessamine quite stunned at what had just occurred.

"Donnel, what just happened there?" Iko asked.

"Sorry, I'm just tired of his attitude." Donnel shrugged. "I couldn't just stand by while he talks like that and gets away with it."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come back to bite us in the ass." Jessamine sighed, before getting serious. "Now, let's get to work."

Nodding, the three went to the room where they first entered the Metaverse. After closing the door, Iko activated the MetaNav.

"Alright, here goes." He pressed his finger against the app.

Their surrounding shifted, as if transforming. After the shifting subsided, they opened the door, revealing the lush jungle before them.

"It worked!" Donnel whooped.

"Seriously, are you unable to keep your voice down?" Jessamine scolded, now in her cartoonish bipedal form.

"Hey, Boss, you're in that outfit again." Donnel remarked, pointing out Iko's Egyptian attire.

"It would seem so." Iko mused, admiring his outfit. "Not half bad, eh?"

"I mean, you look good." Donnel admitted.

"Let's just get down to business." Jessamine rolled her eyes, looking about their surroundings. "The Shadows patrolling this Palace don't seem to know that we're here yet, so we've got time to explore."

"The Shadows…" Iko repeated, remembering the Goatmen he fought the last time he was here. "Like those Goatmen from yesterday…"

"That's right." Jessamine nodded. "The Shadows can take on any kind of form. Inside someone's Palace, anything can happen." She looked down the jungle path, seeing no Shadows for now. "Alright, the coast is clear. Let's get a move on!"

The three went down the jungle path, finding several hanging skeletons and effigies along the path, before finally arriving at their destination. Peeking through the bushes, they could see what looked like a massive prison structure of a compound. The building was surrounded by fifteen foot high wall with wooden spikes embedded in the walls. There was only one entry into the compound, but it was heavily guarded by Shadows that took the form of hunters. The inside of the compound was rather wide and large, several exercising stations were laid about. The structure itself was tall and massive in size.

"Some compound, huh?" Iko remarked. "He must have quite the ego to have a structure that big."

"That place looks impenetrable!" Donnel gasped. "How are we supposed to get in?!"

"Don't you watch any spy movies?" Jessamine frowned, before smirking. "For every heavily guarded place in the world, there is a way. We've just gotta find it."

The three carefully maneuvered around the compound, hiding in the shrubbery, searching for a weakness in the compound walls, before coming upon section of the wall that appears to have broken down a bit, leaving an opening.

"Looks like we can get in through here."

Jessamine and Iko were able to get over the opening with ease, though they had to help Donnel over, and they quickly snuck behind one of the buildings, before peeking out to see the structure.

"Don't suppose we can just walk in through the front door, right?" Donnel asked halfheartedly.

"Of course not!" Jessamine scolded him silently. "Every thief and spy knows that the front door is a terrible idea! We have to find some other way in."

Iko scanned the building, seeing many holes in the building, before spotting an opening in the back of the structure; there was a massive hole in the wall and thankfully no guards.

"Perhaps we can sneak in through there." He pointed.

"Yeah, that could work!" Jessamine smirked, looking up to him. "Good eye, Iko!"

The trio snuck over to the back of the structure, avoiding being spotted by the patrolling Shadows, and snuck in through the back, entering a large and wide interior, lined with rugs and more holes in the walls.

"I'm surprised this building is still standing." Iko remarked, gazing at the holes.

"Let's keep moving, and remember to stay out of sight." Jessamine commanded.

The trio went down the halls, going up several stairs. The interior was as rough as the outside; the walls were lined with trophies of some of the hunters, trophies that varied from all kinds of horns and pelts of different kinds of animals.

"For some bastard's fantasy, he knows how to imagine trophies." Donnel remarked, looking at the trophies.

As they went down the halls, they stopped behind a corner, then peeked out, seeing one of the Shadows with their backs to them.

"Alright, now would be a good chance for a preemptive strike." Jessamine smirked. "Just sneak up from behind and rip off the Shadows mask and they'll change into their true form!" She turned to Donnel. "You should probably sit this one out, my dude. You don't exactly have the power to keep up."

Donnel sighed, but he back up, as Iko snuck up behind the Shadow, then hoped on its shoulders and tore its mask off and back up. The Shadow quivered and squirmed, before bursting into a black puddle, revealing its true form to be a massive reptile-rooster hybrid.

"Cockatrice." Iko muttered, bringing out his glaive and readying his stance.

"Get ready to fight." Jessamine declared, pulling out her rapiers.

The Cockatrice roared a roster-like roar, before charging at them, only for the duo to sidestep it, the duo getting several strikes in. The Cockatrice roared, letting out a high pitched screech that rang throughout the area, so loud that Iko, Jessamine and Donnel had to cover their ears it was so loud.

"This one must be using sound waves as a weapon!" Jessamine yelled.

Iko didn't seem to hear her, from the loud sound waves of the Cockatrice before them. Though he did hear Gaia's words echo within his mind.

 _Use your power to capture and bring Shadows to me._

Focusing, he extended his arm towards the Cockatrice, unsure of what he is supposed to do. Suddenly, the bandages on his arm started to rustle, then, to his surprise, they extended from his arm, wrapping themselves around the Cockatrice's legs, its wings, and then its beak, putting an end to the loud sound waves.

"Iko, what just happened?!" Jessamine exclaimed, surprised by what had happened. "The bandages-"

"I'm not sure, but it's working!" Iko called.

Taking control, Iko brought the Cockatrice down to the floor, rendering it helpless.

Iko carefully approached the beast, as it struggled, though he thought he could hear the beast utter words.

" _Leave me alone!"_ The Cockatrice squawked, struggling against its restraints.

"You can talk?" Iko pointed out, surprised, but also intrigued.

" _Of course I can talk!"_ The Cockatrice snarled. " _Why wouldn't I be able to talk?!"_

"To be honest, I never thought such Shadows could be capable of speech." Iko mused. "This is a whole new experience for me."

" _Yeah?"_ The Cockatrice quipped. " _I didn't think mummies would hold such curiosity."_

"As a scientist, I've always had a strong curiosity for the unknown." Iko admitted. "After all, researching that kind of field is my job, my passion."

" _Passion, you say?"_ The Cockatrice mused, thinking hard. " _I remember such passion, from days when I was much younger."_

'I wasn't aware Shadows had memories.' Iko wondered, before the Cockatrice squawked again.

" _That's it!"_ The Cockatrice cried, before closing its eyes in serenity. " _I am but a simple Cockatrice with a great passion! And I belong to thou."_

And with that, a sarcophagus appeared behind it, and the bandages quickly wrapped around it, quickly and completely covering it, before dragging it into the sarcophagus, sealing it inside.

Iko, Jessamine and Donnel looked in amazement, stunned by what had just occurred. Before anyone could speak up, a portal of light opened behind the sarcophagus, then, much to the shock of the trio, a massive earthly hand reached out and wrapped its earthly fingers around the coffin and pulled it into the portal, the portal closing afterwards.

The trio stood there, absolutely shocked by what they had just witnessed.

"What the fuck just happened?!" Donnel demanded, shocked by what just happened.

"I'm not really sure." Iko admitted, before thinking to himself. 'But I'm sure Gaia had something to do with it.'

"Well, whatever it was, it'll come in handy." Jessamine remarked, before hopping ahead. "Come on! The safe room is up ahead!"

The trio pressed on down one of the halls, reaching what looked like a distorted door. Opening it, the trio entered what looked like a regular board room.

"Why isn't this room affected?" Donnel asked, closing the door behind them.

"Kraven doesn't have influence in board rooms." Jessamine said. "Remember, he's just a guest here."

"Man, I still don't understand this Cognitive Psience crap." Donnel sighed. "Still, I guess this gives us room to breathe." He looked over at Iko, looking over his outfit. "And what's with the outfit? And that mask?"

"That's his 'Will of Rebellion'." Jessamine explained. "It's sort of like an armor that protects him from Kravens perverted vision."

"So, why don't I have one?" Donnel raised an eyebrow.

"You probably don't have the potential yet." Jessamine shrugged. "It's sheer willpower that's been keeping you from being affected by the Palace."

"Damnit, I wish I could be of some use!" Donnel growled, before lighting up with an idea. "Wait, I've got it!"

He dug through his bag and pulled out what looked like medicine bottles and…a silverballer pistol!

"Donnel, where in the hell did you get that?!"

"Relax, Boss, it's not a real gun." Donnel assured. "It just makes noise, but maybe it can fake them out."

"Actually, it can be useful." Jessamine smirked. "Remember, in the Metaverse, anything can be perceived as real, so long as the enemy sees it as real."

"That's good to know." Iko nodded, before pulling out a pen began writing. "I'd better write this down for future references."

Chuckling, Jessamine placed an ear to the door, listening, as she heard voices from the other side.

"Have you found the intruders yet?"

"Nah, not yet."

"Then keep an eye out! Meanwhile, the other hunters are training with the pets, and what do we get? Guard duty."

"I know, right? Why can't we have some fun too?!"

Jessamine thought to herself for a bit, then turned to the duo.

"Sounds like there are at least two guards outside. We can take them out quickly."

The trio exited the room, spotting two guards standing at the end of the hall, facing away from them. While Donnel hung back, Iko and Jessamine snuck up behind the guards, the ripped off their masks, the two guards transforming into their true forms; the first guard transformed into a massive Minotaur, carrying an ax, while the second one changed into a Goatman, baaing in anger.

"Get ready, Iko!"

Drawing their weapons, the two readied themselves, as the two monsters charged at them, and the two summoned their Personas.

"Phoolan, hit 'em with a multi Graviton blast!"

The bandit queen fired two gravity blasts from her rifle, sending the Goatman back into the ground, while the Minotaur just skidded back a bit.

" _Come, Rebel."_ Cleopatra cooed, her snakes hissing loudly. " _I would like to have some fun as well!"_

Iko nodded, then rushed towards the Goatman then hit it with his combo attack, killing it.

The Minotaur roared, then fired a fireball towards Iko, who was able to jump out of the way, but the fireball grazed his arm, lighting the bandages on fire. Screaming, Iko slapped his arm over and over, putting the fire out.

"Ah, shit, that hurts!"

"You must be weak against fire!" Jessamine declared worriedly. "Be careful and dodge as best you can!"

Nodding, Iko kept his distance, then summoned his Persona.

"Cleopatra, hit him with some dark magic!"

Cleopatra laughed, then lifted up one of her snakes, which opened its mouth and unleashed a blast of dark magic at the Minotaur, knocking it off its feet.

"It's down! Iko, restrain it!"

Iko extended his arm out, and the bandages came to life, springing from his arm and wrapping them around the Minotaur, keeping it grounded and restrained.

" _You think these tiny bits of fabric can hold me down?!"_

"They're more than just fabric, Bullhead." Iko smirked. "They're magical."

" _Magic? I've never seen this kind of magic before."_

"Yeah, well I'm still getting used to it." Iko admitted. "Still, it's pretty impressive, no?"

" _Impressive indeed. Reminds me of my younger years."_

'Do these Shadows actually have an age?' Iko thought to himself, curious.

" _Ah, I remember now! I come from the sea of souls! And I belong to thou."_

The Minotaur was then wrapped up in bandages and stuffed in a sarcophagus, then pulled into a portal by Gaia's hand.

"That ability of yours is quite useful." Jessamine remarked. "Maybe it can be used to tame stronger Shadows?"

"We'll have to experiment later." Iko put away his weapon, looking down the hallway. "We should get moving."

The trio continued their way down the hall, before coming upon a set of doors with a large sign over it.

"It's in Russian!" Donnel complained. "I can't read it!"

"Quit your bellyaching and let me!" Jessamine sighed, looking up at the sign. "It says…'Training Hall of the Hunt'."

"That can't sound good."

Opening the doors, the trio entered what looked like some form of hunting grounds, tall grass and thick trees, watching as the hunters are hunting for their prisoners in this area, much to the shock of the trio.

"What the hell kinda place is this?!" Donnel gasped silently.

"Looks like some sort of training ground for the hunters." Jessamine guessed. "The hunters must let the prisoners loose in here to hunt them for sport."

They watched as some of the prisoners ran for their lives, desperately trying to get away from the hunters that chased them.

"Is this how Kraven views other people?" Iko shooked his head in disbelief at what he was seeing.

"I'm afraid so, Iko." Jessamine nodded sadly. "He views everyone who is unimportant as slaves."

"This is unbelievable!" Donnel growled in frustration. "How can any normal human think like this?!"

Before an answer could be given, one of the prisoners ducked behind a rock, looking over at them, a look of terror on his face.

"Please…" He begged. "Please…don't…kill me!"

Before the trio could respond, to assure him they meant no harm, there was gun fire, forcing them to get behind cover, while the prisoner fearfully ducked behind the rock.

"These freaks are fuckin' insane!"

"We need to get out of here!" Jessamine said. "It's not safe here!"

"What about these folks?" Donnel pointed at the prisoners. "We can't just leave them here!"

"They're not real people!" Jessamine retorted. "They're not real humans who came in like you two did." She looked towards the prisoners. "Think of them as very similar looking dolls."

Iko looked toward the prisoners, recognizing some of them as his coworkers. Though he had no love for them, it didn't feel right to just leave them here to suffer.

"We need to find the way out of here." Jessamine declared. "We can head back towards-"

"No."

She and Donnel looked at Iko, who stood up.

"We're not leaving them here like this." Iko stated firmly. "If we can't bring them to reality, we can at least set them free from Kraven's compound."

"I told you, it's hopeless!" Jessamine pointed out.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't try." Iko countered. "I'm going to get these guys out, with or without your help."

Jessamine made to protest, but saw that Iko wasn't gonna budge, then gave a defeated sigh.

"Fine, damnit. I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Trust me on this." Iko assured, then turned to Donnel. "You stay here and wait for us. We'll be back as quick as possible."

"Alright, Boss." Donnel nodded, before handing Iko a walkie-talkie. "We'll keep in touch with this."

And with that, Iko and Jessamine snuck into the tall grass, leaving Donnel a bit frustrated.

"Damnit, I wish I could be of some use." He sighed. "If only I could fight the way Iko could."

While he pondered his thoughts, he failed to notice a dark figure behind him.

* * *

Iko and Jessamine snuck through the tall grass, hidden from view, taking out the hunters and saving the prisoners, gathering them behind the large tree.

"That's all of them." Iko sighed, wiping the sweat from his face.

"This is a waste of time." Jessamine remarked bluntly.

One of the prisoners approached them, having long shaggy hair and those golden eyes.

"Are you guys here to free us?"

"Yes, we are." Iko smirked. "We can't bring you guys to the real world, but we can at least free you so you can fight back."

"Fight back," The prisoner mused. "Well, if you're gonna help us, you need to get us through that door."

He pointed towards what looked like a massive set of steel doors.

"They say that if we make it to those doors, they'd let us go." He said. "But they always just shoot us down from the sniper's nest up there."

He pointed up to the tall platform, where the hunters were scanning the area with their sniper rifles.

"If you guys could take them out, it'd give us a chance to flee."

Iko nodded, then turned to Jessamine.

"You ready?"

"Yep, might as well get this over with." She shrugged.

Sneaking through the tall grass, the duo snuck up the platform, sneaking up on the hunters from behind and attacked, taking them both out. Iko then pressed the button that opened the steel doors, allowing the prisoners to run free.

"Thank you, Rebels!"

"We'll find a way to repay you guys!"

After the prisoners fled, Jessamine was deep in thought.

"Rebels, huh?" She stroked her chin. "Perhaps this wasn't a fool's errand after all."

"Now that we've freed them, let's head back to Donnel and get out of here."

The two got off the platform and made their way back to the entrance to the room, but when they got there, Donnel was nowhere to be found.

"Where'd Donnel go?" Jessamine asked, worried.

"He was told to stay put." Iko said, pulling out the walkie-talkie. "I'll try calling him."

Switching on the talkie, Iko spoke into it several times, trying to get Donnel to answer, but no response.

"Damnit, come on, Donny!" Iko growled. "Answer me!"

"Hello, Iko."

Iko felt his blood run cold, his expression twisted a bit with anger as he recognized that Russian accent. Even Jessamine was shocked.

"Where is he?" Iko growled.

"I'm glad you asked." The voice chuckled. "Come outside, and he might still be alive."

The walkie then switched off, leaving Iko very pissed off.

"I've had it with that good for nothing piece of shit!" He raged, throwing the walkie against the wall, smashing it to pieces.

"Save your anger for when we get there." Jessamine said. "Right now, we've gotta save Donnel!"

With their new objective in mind, the duo sped down the halls, hurrying to save their friend.

* * *

 **Another chapter bites the dust! I apologize if the last bit appears rushe, but I just don't want you guys to think I'm slackin' or nothin', but I've been busy with some real life shit, you catch my drift? Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter regardless, and as always, be sure to review and let me know what you guys think of the new chapter!**


	5. From Squire to Knight

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Five: From Squire to Knight

Iko and Jessamine ran down the halls, desperately trying to get to the main entrance, Iko still steaming pissed off.

"I swear, if that bastard hurts Donny…" He seethed.

"Save your anger for when we get our hands, and paws, on that Russian twat." Jessamine said. "We're almost there!"

The two made it to the main entrance, then bashed to door in(or out, in this case), finally making it outside, and finding no one in sight.

"That's weird," Jessamine frowned, looking around. "Where are the guards?"

"Donnel?!" Iko yelled, looking about frantically. "Donny, where are you?!"

"Up here!"

The two looked up and, to their shock, there was a tied up Donnel, hanging upside-down from one of the windows of the massive structure, struggling against his bounds.

"Donny!"

The two made to run, only to halt at the sound of a gunshot.

"No need to be hasty, moi druz'ya."

The two looked up to see the Palace Ruler himself, Vladimir Kraven, step onto the edge of the window, but he was much more different from his real world counterpart. This Kraven wore some sort of a hunters outfit, black cargo pants tucked inside black military type boots, a Lion's Head vest, a set of black and white stripped bracers and his eyes are yellow, and he had a menacing grin on his face.

"Welcome to my compound, my friends!" He called from above, spreading his arms out. "I've been expecting your arrival!"

"Kraven." Jessamine snarled. "I suppose the masked man told you we were comin'?"

"Hah!" Shadow Kraven laughed aloud, before smirking. "No, I knew you would come back. Even the smartest of prey have a bad habit of coming back to the predator's lair."

"Let Donnel go, you brute!" Iko shouted angrily. "I'm the one you want!"

"Haha, quite indeed, Iko," The Shadow Russian chuckled, before shaking his head. "But no." He grabbed the rope restraining Donnel, and frowned. "This boy had the nerve to lay his hands on me."

"And I don't regret it one bit!" Donnel cried out in anger. "And I'd gladly do it again!"

"Disrespectful little cur like you should learn your place." Shadow Kraven snarled, holding his gun to Donnels head. "Or you'll end up dead."

"Kraven, I swear, if you lay one finger on him," Iko threatened. "I will end you myself!"

"As if a fool like you can do anything about it." Shadow Kraven smirked menacingly, holding up his hand. "And besides…"

And with a snap of his fingers, dozens of Shadow hunters jumped out of their hiding spots, surrounding the duo and pointing their guns at them.

"You are outnumbered!" Shadow Kraven let out an arrogant laugh.

"Damnit, there's so many of them," Jessamine snarled, readying her rapiers.

"Then we'll fight our way through!" Iko readied his glaive, ready for a fight.

Kraven only laughed aloud.

"By all means, please try!" He gazed down at them, that arrogant smirk on his face. "It will be a joy to watch you die on the spot!"

"You cowardly fuck!" Donnel spat, struggling against his restraints.

Kraven glared at Donnel, then pulled out a large serrated machete, grabbed the rope that kept him suspended, then cut the top part of the rope, literally holding Donnel in the air by the rope.

"Be careful how you word yourself, boy." He sneered, bringing him up the eye level. "Certain words might get you killed." He then rubbed the side of his face, where Donnel had struck him in reality. "Or actions even."

"You're nothing but an arrogant piece of shit!" Donnel shouted. "You act like you're owed everything, but throw a temper tantrum when you don't get your way!"

"You just love telling yourself that, don't you?" Kraven smirked. "I have accomplished things no normal man ever could."

"That doesn't mean you're exempt from the law!"

"Such a big mouth." Kraven snickered, dangling Donnel over the great height. "Such foolishness will get you killed."

"Donnel, don't worry!" Iko yelled up to him. "We'll figure something out!"

"Don't worry about me, Boss!" Donnel smirked. "I ain't afraid!"

"Don't try to act tough for my sake, Donnel." Iko shooked his head. "I know you're scared, deep down. But you don't have to hide it."

"What makes you think I'm hidin' anythin'?!" Donnel frowned. "The only thing I'm 'fraid of is if anythin' happened to me pa. Ever since me ma left us, after destroying me pa's life and leavin' him with nuthin', it was just me and him, doin' our best to survive in this cruel world." His eyes looked like they were about to water up. "He works so hard fer my sake, and always tellin' me that I don't have to lift a finger for him. Just watchin' him kill himself for me was heartbreakin'." His face turned stern. "That's why I bust my ass for a job as your assistant! So I can not only make some money on the side, but help support me pa. So he doesn't have to suffer over me."

"Donnel…"

Iko was astounded by Donnel's words. Such dedication, such passion, such…loyalty.

"See, Iko, yer like a second dad to me." Donnel went on, now smirking. "Sure, we've only met 'bout a week ago, but we're similar in a sense, if you get what I'm sayin'. We both suffered to support the ones we love. Like I suffered to support me pa, you suffered for that little girl, fer Wakaba…we both suffered to do the right thing!" He then raised his voice. "I'M GLAD I STOOD BY YOU AND I DON'T FUCKING REGRET IT!"

" _Yes, I can feel the passion in your heart."_

Donnel let out a sharp gasp, struggling in pain, feeling his head throb, as a voice spoke in his head.

" _That determination, the passion, the conviction to do what's right, no matter what people think of you."_ The male voice acknowledged. " _The strength to suffer for the ones you love. If this is your conviction, let us form a pact."_

Donnel let out a sharp scream in agony.

" _I am thou, thou art I."_ The voice went on, the ropes constricting Donnel suddenly caught aflame. " _No more hiding in the shadows. Let my darkest night be your sword hence forth!"_

In a whisk of blue flame, a black horned mask appeared on Donnel's face, with red on the tips and around the eyes.

"Donnel?"

Getting an arm free, Donnel grabbed hold of the mask, and with a strong tug, ripped the mask off, screaming in pain as blood poured from his face.

"What is this?!" Shadow Kraven demanded.

Loose, Donnel slipped from his constrains, falling towards the ground, much to Iko and Jessamine's shock. But before the duo could make a move, as Donnel descended, his eyes flashed open, and in a whisk of blue flames, his descent slowed with a red cape, and he landed a three point landing pose, his clothes replaced with black spiked vampire armor.

He looked up with a fanged smirk, as his Persona appeared behind him in a whisk of blue flame, appearing as a pale, slick black haired man with fangs sticking out, wearing Wallachian armor with a flowing black cape and wielding a decorated spear and several small bats were flying around him.

"Holy shit, mate." Donnel looked at the armor that covered his body and smirked. "I'm likin' this!"

Iko and Jessamine were amazed by what they saw, as Donnel turned towards them, that fanged smirk on his face.

"Hey, Boss," Doonel popped his knuckles, and cricked his neck. "I'm ready."

Iko nodded, then the three ready for a fight.

"Fools!" Shadow Kraven snarled, gesturing to his hunters. "You will never get through my pupils!"

The hunters raised their weapons and fired, but as the bullets came close, Donnel raised a hand, causing the bullets to halt midflight.

"What kind of power is this?!" Iko asked, surprised by what he was witnessing.

"Force."

With a flick of his hand, Donnel sent the bullets flying back at the hunters, killing most of them and turning them into black puddles.

"You really need to get better men, Kraven." Donnel boasted at a very angry Shadow Kraven.

" _Foolish intruders_!" One of the Shadows snarled. " _Don't mock us_!"

* * *

 **At this point, play Show Me What You've Got by Powerman 5000.**

* * *

The remaining four Shadows transformed into vicious looking Centaurs, all four holding spears.

"You ready for this, Donny?" Iko asked.

"Oh hell yeah, Boss!" Donnel chuckled, before pulling out a large, black broadsword and readying a stance. "Let's wipe them out, Tepes! Or should I say- **Dracula!"**

The Centaurs roared and charged, only to be pushed by a powerful force from Donnel, skidding across the dirt.

" _You have transgressed against our master for the last time, Rebels!"_

"And we'll do it as many times as we must!" Donnel raised his sword, ready to strike.

The Centaur kicked up some dirt, then charged, ready to impale its foe, only for Donnel to sidestep it and swing his sword, cutting off the Shadows legs and sending it tumbling into the dirt, and it dissolved into a puddle.

The second one reeled back, then fire and electrical blast towards Iko, who easily dodged the blasts as he got closer to the Centaur, then jumped and swung his glaive and cut off the Shadows head, killing it.

The third Centaur charged at Jessamine, aiming to impale her with its spear, but she simply dodged the attack and swung her rapiers, cutting off its legs and destroying it.

The last Centaur roared, then charged at the trio, then Donnel charged forward, and raised his blade, slicing the Centaurs underbelly and sending it crashing into the dirt, dissolving into a puddle.

* * *

 **Song ends.**

* * *

The trio looked on in victory at the remains of their foes.

"We…we did it." Donnel let out a heavy sigh.

"You see, Kraven?!" Iko shouted up at the Shadow. "We've defeated your 'students', now you're next!"

"Don't be so sure of yourself, Iko." The Russian Shadow smirked, chuckling. "There's plenty more where they came from!"

As if on cue, more hunters appeared from out of nowhere, ready to fight.

"Damn it, they just keep coming." Jessamine grunted. "We need to make a strategic retreat, for now!"

Agreeing, the trio retreated into the forest, narrowly escaping the hunters chasing them. Stopping at the exit, the three stopped to catch their breath.

"We made it…wait." Donnel looked at himself, looking at the armor he was suddenly changed into. "I don't remember changin' into this!"

"If it makes you feel better, you look good in it." Iko remarked.

"Uhhh…is that supposed to make me feel better?" Donnel raised a brow, before running a finger across the mask on his face. "And what's with this mask?"

"I told you before," Jessamine sighed. "When a Persona-user opposes a Palace Ruler and becomes a threat to them, this happens. It's to prevent you from being affected by the distortions."

"Well, that's good ta know, I guess." Donnel frowned, before smirking at his outfit. "Still, I agree, Iko; this does look good on me."

"We'd better get back to the real word." Jessamine declared. "We need to regroup, now that there's three of us."

* * *

After leaving Kravens Palace and getting off work, the trio returned to Iko's house, to think up a new plan, and discuss what had happened.

"Now that Donnel has awakened to his Persona," Iko spoke up. "Perhaps now we stand a greater chance of retrieving Kravens treasure?"

"That should be the case." Jessamine nodded, licking her paws. "He will be expecting us though, so we need to prepare."

"Leave that to me." Donnel smirked, leaning back in his seat. "I know a guy who can give us just what we need."

"Sounds good to me." Iko nodded. "In the meantime, I'll do some looking into Kraven's history."

"The Shadows you freed from Kravens compound might come in handy." Jessamine pointed out. "They no doubt will want to see that Palace go."

"And when the time is right, we strike." Iko confirmed.

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"And so, we officially began to plot our move against Kraven." Iko told the teens.

"Wow that is badass!" Ryuji blurted out, before turning to Donnel. "And you pulled off a superhero landing!"

"Ah, it's nothing special." Donnel waved off.

"Regardless, you were in quite the situation, Donnel-san." Makoto remarked. "I'm not sure if you're stupidly brave or bravely stupid."

"A bit of both, to be honest, love." Donnel smirked. "You always did like that about me."

Makoto blushed a bit.

"Your experiences with Palaces is much more different from ours." Morgana declared. "Can you tell us more?"

"Gladly." Iko smiled. "There's more to come anyways…"

* * *

 **And there's the newest chapter! Hope you guys are still enjoying it so far! Also, what do you guys think of the songs I'm putting in? I figured I'd give this story a soundtrack, hope that doesn't bother you all. Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter, and don't forget to review!**


	6. Another Rebel

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Six: Another Rebel

Iko woke up in the tent once again, sitting across from Gaia, with Angelus at her side.

"I see you have been busy, Trickster." She remarked.

"That's right, I have." Iko nodded. "My friends and I have been working on a plan to deal with Kraven."

"Yes, I know all about him." Gaia frowned. "A man who has spent his whole life looking down on others. Pride, lust and arrogance plagues his mind."

"Now he expects me to hire him, by Shido's 'recommendation', no less."

"He will stop at nothing to get what he wants." Angelus declared. "You must stop him before he succeeds."

"Don't you worry, Messenger." Iko assured. "My friends and I already have a plan to deal with Kraven."

"And you will need all the help you can get." Gaia smiled. "Starting with the Shadows you brought before me."

With a raise of her hand, the two sarcophagi appeared behind her, opening up, bringing out the Cockatrice and Minotaur.

"You've captured some powerful Shadow's, Trickster." Gaia declared. "Now, let me show you how it works."

Cleopatra emerged besides Iko.

"As you can see, Cleopatra has a powerful affinity to Dark and light magic." Gaia continued. "Unfortunately, she is weak against fire. And she evolves at a much slower rate."

Cleopatra hung her head in shame.

"However, there are methods to make her stronger." Gaia explained. "With the power of the Gravekeeper, you can transfer the affinity of one Persona and add it to your own. Your Persona also grows stronger with this method as well."

She raised a hand to the Minotaur, extracting some essence from it, then turned to Cleopatra, letting the essence flow from her hand, allowing the essence to enter Cleopatra.

Iko could feel his Persona grow stronger, and at the same time, himself.

"Now to test it."

She created a fireball in her hands and threw it at Iko, who braced himself, the fireball crashing against him, but instead of hurting him like it once did, it didn't even hurt.

In fact, the flames seemed to rejuvenate him.

"Now your Persona is not only immune to fire, but is healed from it." Gaia smiled. "There are plenty of things to improve, but I suggest taking things slowly."

"Now you are on your way to deal with Kraven." Angelus declared. "I recommend caution, Trickster. Kraven is a tricky opponent."

Iko nodded, and proceeded to return to reality.

* * *

 _The next morning…_

* * *

The trio went to work as usual, avoiding Kraven as best they could, working on various research projects. Once it was time to get off work, the trio met outside the building, going over their plan once more.

"Alright, let's go over the plan one last time." Jessamine spoke up, popping out of Iko's bag and perching herself on his shoulder. "Once inside, we head to Kraven's compound and secure an infiltration route to Kraven's Treasure."

"And we free the prisoners inside." Iko added. "They seemed grateful when we freed them, so they can be used to our advantage."

"I agree." Donnel nodded. "And we upped up our equipment as well."

Inside a duffle bag ha carried was their equipment, upgraded, courtesy of Donnel's contact.

"All right, let's do this."

Activating the app, the trio entered the Metaverse, their clothes transforming into their Metaverse outfits, entering the jungle just a few feet from the compound, the Shadows on alert.

"The Shadows know that we're here, so let's approach with caution." Jessamine turned to Iko and smiled. "We're counting on you, Anubis!"

"Anubis?" Donnel repeated. "That a nickname?"

"It's a codename, you cunt." Jessamine frowned. "There's no telling what kind of effect yelling our real names will have on the Palaces…"

"Okay, but why is Iko 'Anubis'?" Donnel asked, ignoring the cunt comment.

"Because he looks like a mummy." Jessamine pointed out. "That and the mask make it pretty obvious."

"Sounds fitting." Iko shrugged.

"Now, for you…let's see…" Jessamine looked Donnel up and down, looking at his armor and mask. "How about…Apollyon?"

"Apollyon…" Donnel repeated, before smirking. "Sounds pretty badass." He then looked down at Jessamine. "Now, for you…how about 'Jessie'?"

"Sounds fine to me." Jessamine nodded. "From here on out, we're Anubis, Apollyon, and Jessie. We'll have to be thorough using those codenames from here on out!"

"Alright then, let's begin the operation."

But before the trio could make the trip to the compound, they noticed a campsite inhabited by the prisoners that they had freed the other day, wearing wooden armor and holding spears.

"Hey, what're you guys doing out here?" Donnel asked, the trio approaching the small group.

They looked towards the trio, their faces plastered upon their faces at the trios return.

"It's the Rebels!" One of them cheered. "They have returned!"

The leader of the small group approached the trio, the same man that Iko had first recognized from the training halls.

"Are you here to help us overthrow the tyrant?"

"As much as we can." Iko nodded. "Taking down Kraven and taking his Treasure is our top priority."

"Then perhaps we can be of use." The leader declared. "When the time comes, our resistance forces can charge against Kraven's forces, giving you the chance to slip in."

"Works for me." Donnel smirked.

"But there aren't that many of us." One of the other resistance members spoke up. "Our brothers are locked up, being tortured, our weapons are inadequate and our leader is held captive."

"Then we'll have to change that, won't we?" Iko declared. "We'll see what we can do."

"Thank you, Rebels!" The leader bowed, thankful. "Please, proceed with caution."

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"So you two helped the Shadows in Kraven's Palace?" Morgana said, still a bit confused. "But the Shadows we encountered were different in the other Palaces we visited."

"I guess it depends on the Palace ruler's cognition." Jessamine licked her paws. "Kraven saw the people at the research facility as resilient pests, so that must be how he perceived them in his Palace."

"Guess some Shadows are just more resistant than others." Makoto frowned.

"So what happened next?" Yusuke asked. "Surely there is more?"

"There is, trust me." Iko assured. "But first, we want you guys to meet someone." He turned to Donnel. "Have you contacted him already?"

"Already sent a text an hour ago before I showed up, Boss." Donnel nodded. "Said he's on the way."

Just as he said that, the door opened, ringing the bell.

"Speaking of which, there he is."

The teens turned toward the door, where a thirty year old man stood, wearing black pants and shoes, a white long-sleeved button up shirt, holding a black jacket over his shoulder and short purple hair.

"Hello, kiddies." He greeted in a relaxed western tone and a smirk on his face.

Before the teens could respond, Haru quickly shot up out of her seat.

"Jonathan Chase?!"

"Haru, you know this guy?" Ryuji asked.

"He used to work for my father." Haru nodded. "He served as a bodyguard to us both."

"Pretty good at my job too." Jonathan said.

"Well how come we never saw you around?" Ann asked.

"Because a few years ago, I resigned." Jonathan said. "Haru's dad and I had a fallin' out about how he treats his employee's, and he just said 'if you don't like it, you can leave', and I did, and told him 'Don't come cryin' to me if someone comes for your head'." He then frowned, crossing his arms. "Funny how life works." He turned his head to Haru. "I'm sorry about your old man by the way."

"It's not your fault, John." Haru assured. "It never was. I never blamed you for leaving."

"But how does this guy fit into your story, Iko?" Akira asked.

"Because I was a bounty hunter at the time." Jonathan answered. "After quitting my job as a bodyguard, I turned to bounty hunting, taking the occasional odd job here and there. Whatever Shido was up to, I was determined to keep out of it."

"So while Shido made other people's lives miserable," Makoto frowned. "You stood by and did nothing."

"Don't get me wrong, I can't stand the pompous grifter." John shooked his head. "But I couldn't do a thing about it, so I stood at the sidelines, hoping he wouldn't notice. That's when I met Iko in the Metaverse and he relit my fire of rebellion…"

* * *

 _Back to the story…_

* * *

With that, the trio departed, heading for the compound, going over the wall and ducking behind one of the buildings.

"Okay, here's the plan," Jessamine began. "First, let's grab as many weapons and armor and hide them just a few feet from the compound. Once that's done, we infiltrate the structure and free any prisoners we find."

"Sounds fine to me." Iko nodded.

The trio snuck into one of the building, the armory, finding massive rows of high grade armor and weapons. Grabbing as many as they could, the trio stuffed the weapons and armor into multiple bags and snuck out, sneaking past the guards and out of the compound, inside a hollowed out log.

Infiltrating back into the compound, the trio took out some of guards, then freed some of the prisoners, informing them of the resistance movement in the forest, leading them to the exit and sending them into the forest to meet with the resistance, that the weapons they stole with them.

After that, the trio snuck into the structure, making their way down the halls, heading down into the dungeons to find the leader of the resistance group, while doing their best to avoid being detected by the guards. Sneaking further down, they finally reached the door to the dungeons, but stayed behind the corner when they saw two hunter guards guarding the door.

"Let's take these guys out quick."

The three jumped out and attacked, the hunters transformed into Tengu Warriors, squawking madly and flapping their wings.

Donnel's Persona unleashed a powerful force attack that sent one of the Tengu Warriors into the ground, then as the second one was about to charge at him with its deadly talons, Iko struck it with his combo attack, reducing it into a black puddle. Jessamine struck the remaining Tengu with her rapiers, cutting off its head and destroying it.

The trio proceeded through the door and into the dungeons, passing by several empty cells, before coming upon a massive set of doors. The trio opened the doors and entered a spacious room, lined with chains and various torture devices. At the center of the room, much to Iko's shock was Riku, chained down with many restrains holding his limbs.

The trio hurriedly removed the chains holding Shadow Riku, then rushed to his side.

"Riku, are you okay?" Iko asked worriedly, helping his friend to his feet and holding him over his shoulder.

"…Iko?" Shadow Riku managed to choke out, leaning against Iko.

"Hang in there, my friend." Iko pulled him towards the door. "We're getting you out of here, then we'll end this madness."

The group managed to get back to the main entrance of the building. Seeing no guards, they proceeded towards the gate, until two hunters jumped from their hiding spots.

" _You think you can escape that easily?!"_

"Damn it!" Jessamine drew out her weapons. "I knew this wouldn't be that easy!"

"Stay behind us, Anubis!" Donnel drew out his sword. "We'll make this quick!"

But before the hunters could make a move, suddenly, a playing card was tossed between the two, then it exploded, destroying them.

"What the hell was that?!"

Iko looked up, and saw a dark character standing at one of the windows of the structure; he wore what looked like a black tuxedo with purple gloves and a black gambler hat. He also wore a black and white phantom styled masquerade mask over his dark red eyes.

"Who are you?!" Iko yelled up to him, prompting Donnel and Jessamine to look where Iko was looking.

"Trust me," The figure called, a snide smirk on his face. "I didn't do that for you."

He then jumped from the window and landed with a three point landing in between the trio and the Shadows, before standing up, as Donnel and Jessamine readied themselves, and the Shadows snarled.

" _Just who do you think you are, intruder?!'_

"No one special." The stranger shrugged, before smirking and pulling out a playing card and pointing it at the hunters. "Just a lowly scum who's got nothing left to lose."

"So, a bounty hunter." Jessamine guessed.

"Well done, kitty." He chuckled. "That's quite a grasp of the obvious you've got there."

He held the playing card up, that playful smirk on his face.

"Now let's rumble!"

* * *

 **At this point, play Diamond Eyes by Shinedown.**

* * *

The three Shadows dissolved and transformed into Snake-Haired Women, hissing angrily.

Donnel and Jessamine readied their weapons, while the stranger simply stood there with his hands at his sides as, like a western cowboy in a dual, his hands just barely hovering over an imaginary gun belt, while Iko hung back with Shadow Riku.

"Hope you can pull your weight, old man." Donnel remarked.

"You're the one who needs to keep up!" The stranger replied, pulling out a second card. "The name's 'Spider', by the way."

And with that, he unleashed a storm of cards from his sleeves, shredding the Snake Women and causing serious damage, grounding them, allowing Donnel to pull out a heavy machine gun.

"Eat lead, snake brains!" He yelled, opening fire, only for the Snake Women to surprisingly recover, dodging the bullets. "What?!"

"These Shadows seem more versatile than the others." Iko wondered.

Jessamine summoned her Persona, sending a powerful gravity blast towards the Snake Women, though it didn't seem to affect them in the slightest.

"They don't seem fazed!" Jessamine cried.

"We'll see about that!" Donnel growled, bringing a hand up to his mask. "PERSONA!"

Dracula appeared behind him, sending a powerful force blast towards the Snake Women, sending them back a bit.

"Not bad, for a newbie." Spider commented, bringing a hand up to his mask. "Now, let me show you mine!"

In a whisk of blue flame, his Persona appeared, appearing like an American gangster, wearing a trench coat and fedora hat, and had a scar on the side of his face, smoked a cigar and held a tommy gun.

"Let's show 'em how it's done, Scarface," The attacker smirked, tipping his hat. "Or better yet- **Al Capone**!"

The Gangster Persona raised his tommy gun and unleashed a hail of bullets, sending the Shadows to the ground, then unleashed a powerful time attack from his hand, freezing them in place.

"They're all yours, Vamp." He called to Donnel. "Hit 'em with your best!"

Nodding, Donnel swung with all his might, striking the Snake Women down, reducing them into nothing but black puddles.

* * *

 **Song ends.**

* * *

After the fight, the team was able to bring Shadow Riku to the resistance camp, seeing the fighters wearing better armor, brandishing better, higher quality weapons and even preparing traps.

After being thanked by the resistance once more, the team set up camp nearby, to discuss things with their new friend.

"I suppose we owe you our thanks, Mister." Iko said, sitting on a log.

"No need, amigo." Spider waved off, leaning against a tree. "Just trying to do something good for once."

"So, who are you, anyways?" Donnel asked, sitting on a tree stump. "And when did you get your powers?'

"Damn, where to start…" Spider mused, rubbing his chin. "Well, years ago, I moved to Japan, alone, hoping to solve some injustices. Worked as a bodyguard for some bigwigs."

"But when did you get your powers?" Jessamine pressed, sitting at Iko's feet.

"Well, it feels like several months now." Spider sighed, wiping his face. "Worked as Wakaba's bodyguard for a time."

"You knew Wakaba?" Iko asked.

"To an extent, yeah." Spider nodded. "I also worked with your brother, Tio."

"You knew my brother?!"

"After reading up his file, I found out he had a brother." Spider shrugged. "You see, we were partners, back when I was guarding bodies, but…" He looked down at the dirt. "Something happened to him one day, when he died."

"What did you discover?" Jessamine asked, intrigued.

"Tio and I found out about some sort of conspiracy regarding Shido." He clenched his fist and unclenched it. "Then one day, he was found dead in his home. Most of the eggheads just wrote it off as natural causes, but I knew better. I knew he was murdered."

"What did you do?"

"I did some searching around, but didn't find much." Spider shrugged. "After a while, Wakaba hired you, Abraxas, and after her death, I got a letter, demanding that I stop my investigations, or more people would suffer."

"What happened next?"

"After that, I stopped for a while, then moved on, started dating a brilliant doctor, even adopted a little girl as my daughter." Spider sighed. "I swore that I would just give up, for my girls' sake, but it was like Tio and Wakaba's ghosts were haunting me, asking 'why'." He looked up at the trio. "So I went back to searching, that's when I got this weird app."

"The MetaNav." Jessamine remarked.

"The same one." Spider nodded. "And I ended up in that weird place, not sure where. It's also where I encountered that character in the black mask, about to gun me down."

Everyone went silent for a while, before Spider continued.

"He was about to kill me right there. I kept telling myself 'I can't die here. Not until I bring justice for my friends'. That's when I awakened to my Persona and scared the assassin off." He looked at his hand, then to Iko. "After finding out I got my powers, I went digging deeper, and eventually came across you guys, taking the fight to Kraven."

"That Russian has been harassing us for weeks." Donnel growled.

"Watching you guys reminded me how far from the fight I was." Spider declared. "I shouldn't be hiding on the sidelines. I should be out there fighting!"

"Then why don't you join us in taking down Kraven?" Iko suggested. "We could use some help taking down Kraven."

"I don't see why not." Spider shrugged. "I wouldn't mind taking a filthy paid gun down a peg or two."

"Then it's settled." Jessamine confirmed. "Now that we've taking care of the resistance and got them more equipped, we can begin our route to the Treasure!"

"But first, who are you, Mister?" Donnel asked. "Your name, I mean?"

"In reality, I'm called Jonathan Chase." Spider said with a smirk. "But in the Metaverse, the codename's Spider. And it's a pleasure."

"Well then," Iko started, rising to his feet. "Let's get back on the trail. That Treasure won't steal itself."

"Lead the way, Anubis!"

And with that, the trio, now made four, made their way back to the compound, eager to sneak inside and secure their route."

* * *

 _The present…_

* * *

"And that's how I met your old man, Futaba." John finished, leaning against the bar. "Watching how he and his trio of friends were taking on Shido's worse of the worse reminded me of what it meant to stand for the voiceless."

The teens looked to one another, before Akira spoke up.

"So you joined up with Iko to make up for your inaction?"

"Right on the money, kid." John smirked. "I figured I'd make more progress with my quest for redemption with a team, rather than on my own."

"That was quite big of you." Yusuke remarked. "And with that threat over your head, it couldn't have been easy."

"Action speaks louder than words." John declared. "And Iko showed me that sitting by with my arms crossed ain't the solution."

"So, after getting your fourth member, you began your quest to the Treasure?" Morgana asked.

"Yep, about damn time, if you ask me." Donnel chuckled. "With all the setbacks, I thought we were never gonna get to that part."

"I agree, Donny." Iko nodded, before turning to the teens. "Anyways, back to the story. Specifically, the part where we began our road to the Treasure…"

* * *

 **Finally, another chapter down! Thank you guys so much for your patience, it means so much to me that you guys are looking forward to the next chapter. And your reviews help too, it lets me know what to improve on. Also, I know I've said this a hundred times, but I apologize if any part of this chapter seems rushed, I've been going over how I would introduce Jonathan Chase, but nothing seemed to work, until I finally settled for this. Anyways, thank you guys for reading and I hope you guys are still looking forward to more! Stay tuned for the next chapter, and don't forget to review!**


	7. The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Seven: The Hunter Becomes The Hunted

The team of four snuck into the compound, making their way into the structure, heading up several levels of floors, mostly entering prisons. They freed more prisoners and sent them on their way to the resistance, while send with them various equipment. The team went on, before entering what seemed like a massive trophy room, lined with a huge variety of trophies.

"This guy sure likes to flaunt his kills around, doesn't he?" Donnel thought aloud.

"People like him like to compensate for small assets, if you know what I mean." Jonathan chuckled.

"Save the dicks jokes for later, boys." Iko spoke up. "We've got a job to do. Let's make way to the Treasure!"

The four exited into another hallway, sneaking past guard after guard, before coming upon a massive set of doors decorated in ornate symbols. Opening it, they entered a massive room with what looked like a shrine dedicated to Kraven, a massive statue of him erected in the middle of the room.

"What the hell is this shit?" Donnel gaped. "Some kinda shrine?"

"Like I said, something to compensate for something small." Jonathan shrugged, looking at the shrine. "Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"So he comes here to revel in his vanity?" Jessamine mused, looking about the shrine. "He truly is pathetic."

 _Those who dare speak about our master deserve no quarter!_

They turned to see one of the Shadows standing in the doorway, holding an AK 47.

 _It is as the cat says. This-_

Before it could finish, however, a card penetrated its head, instantly reducing it to a puddle.

"I swear, the bad guys never stop monologueing." Jonathan shooked his head, adjusting his sleeve.

The four moved on, reaching the higher levels, before coming upon another massive door decorated with rare jewels. Opening it up, they found something glowing in the middle of the massive trophy room, a formless cloud of rainbow energy, floating.

"Aye, what's this floating thing?" Donnel asked, gazing at it.

"This is it, boys." Jessamine smirked, jumping on a stone. "This is the Treasure in its incorporeal form."

"How we supposed to get it out?" Iko asked. "It doesn't look like we can get a hold of it."

"That's because simply finding the Treasure isn't enough." Jessamine explained. "We have to make it materialize before we can steal it."

"Make it materialize?" Donnel repeated, confused.

"Desires have no physical form by nature." Jessamine went on. "We're gonna need to make the person in reality aware that their desires are in fact treasures."

"I think I see where this is goin'." Jonathan interjected. "We send Kraven a heads-up, something along the line 'we're gonna take your treasure' and he'll think someone's out to get him. Once he's aware of that, the Treasure will become corporeal."

"You've already got it down flat, Spider." Jessamine said, impressed. "Are you sure this is your first time?"

"Actually, I've just seen it done many times in movies and video games." Jonathan shrugged, before stroking his chin, facing a certain direction. "I wonder if we should tell the audience that?"

"Anyways," Jessamine went on, ignoring Jonathan's last comment. "All we have to do is get out a calling card, rally the resistance and come back and take the Treasure!"

"Alright, then our infiltration route is secured." Iko declared. "Best if we head back now and form the final game plan."

In agreement, the four carefully exited the structure and out of the Palace, back into reality.

* * *

The four returned to Iko's home to discuss their new game plan; creating the calling card and rallying the resistance.

"With the infiltration route secured," Jessamine began, licking her paws. "All that's left is to send the calling card and Kraven's heart!"

"Wait, we couldn't have sent a calling card at the beginning of this?" Donnel asked.

"It's not that simple." Jessamine explained sternly. "The Treasure won't stay materialized forever. Once the impression is gone, the Treasure will disappear. It'll last about a day, at least."

"So basically, once we send the calling card, we only get one shot at stealing his Treasure, right?" John clarified.

"Exactly!" Jessamine nodded. "We have to be absolutely sure on when we send the calling card."

"What do you think, Boss?" Donnel asked Iko. "When should we strike?"

Iko thought for a moment before speaking.

"Tomorrow after work would probably be the best time." He declared. "The sooner we deal with this, the better."

"I couldn't agree more, Iko!" Jessamine purred.

"Let me handle the calling card!" Donnel requested. "I know just what to say to that Russian cunt."

"Alright, but I expect it to be professional." Iko instructed, before turning to John. "I trust you'll be heading home alright?"

"Don't worry about me, friend." John smirked. "I have a place not too far from here."

Alright, then that's it for today!" Jessamine declared. "Let's head back now!"

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"So ya finally sent the calling card?" Ryuji asked eagerly.

"Yep, about damn time too." John grinned.

"After some much needed preparation, we sent the calling card." Jessamine declared. "Finally, the big event…"

* * *

 _Back to the story…_

* * *

The next day, Iko walked into the building, seeing a large crowd of researched gathered around a bulletin board. Curious, Iko walked up to take a look, and after pushing through the crowd, Iko got a look at what was garnering the attention of the crowd: it was covered in what looked like black and blue cards, with letters cut from newspapers arranged into a message.

* * *

 _Vladimir Kraven, the predator of pride,_

 _We are aware of the way you force yourself on others and threaten them when you don't get your way. The time has come for us to make you confess your crimes with your own mouth. Be prepared to have your twisted desires taken away._

 _Yours truly, the Rebel Spectres of Justice._

* * *

After reading over the card several times more, Iko looked to Jessamine, who was propped on his shoulder, the Iko walked towards the break area, where Jonathan and Donnel were waiting, watching the crowd.

"Not bad, eh?" Donnel smirked, proud of his handy work.

Iko looked towards John, who simply shrugged, before seeing Kraven march into the room, glaring at the bulletin board.

"Someone dares to threaten me?!" He growled. "I swear, I will make them suffer!"

As he was about to leave, the room went dark, and the rebels found themselves facing the man's shadow.

"Finally," He smirked madly. "Let the hunt begin!"

When things returned to normal and Kraven left the room, Jessamine popped out of the bag and onto Iko's shoulder.

"So, given that reaction, I assume that means the treasure has appeared?" John asked. "We'll be able to get it today?"

"Not just today, but ONLY today." Jessamine got serious. "It can't be repeated and it doesn't last long. This will be our one chance to rally the resistance and steal the treasure."

"Then let's get started, right after work!" Donnel smirked.

And with that, the trio plus Jessamine went on with the day.

* * *

Time flew by for the four. After getting off work, the four immediately traveled to Kraven's palace to rally the resistance, who was more than ready for battle; with new and improved weapons and armor and Riku leading them, the resistance was prepared to take down the tyrant.

"Listen up, everyone!" Iko announced, standing on a large mound, getting the soldiers attention. "Though we seem prepared, I can tell that deep down, you have doubt. Doubt that we can actually defeat the tyrant." He slid down the mound, his gaze set on the structure in the distance, before turning to face the resistance. "Well, I'm here to tell you; fear not! We have prepared for this day! We have the weapons to tear through the opposition! We have to armor to protect us from enemy fire! And," He gestured toward Riku. "We have the leader of the resistance in our midst again! Today," He raised a fist. "Is our time. Our time to rise up and finally defeat the tyrant and take our freedom, YOUR freedom!"

The soldiers cheered loudly.

"Will you stand and fight?"

The crowd of soldiers cheered affirmative.

"Then let's go!"

* * *

 **At this point, play Another Way Out by Hollywood Undead.**

* * *

After several hours, the siege on the compound had begun, the resistance soldiers mowing down the enemy Shadows with their advanced weaponry, bashing down the doors and raiding the compound.

Iko and his group watched over the warzone, as the resistance was crushing the opposition.

"Looks like the resistance is giving everything they have." Jonathon spoke up.

"Good thing we upped the odds for Riku's forces then." Jessamine nodded. "They'll keep the shadows distracted while we make a run for the treasure."

"Then let's get started!" Iko declared. "Let's move out!"

Their mission set, the team made their way past the brawling shadows, then went up the various floors, passing by more shadows fighting, before coming upon a large set of doors. Prepared, the team opened the doors.

* * *

 **Song ends.**

* * *

As the team entered the massive trophy room, finding Kraven at the center of the room, holding what looks like a golden pelt.

"You're seeking out this trophy, no?" He casually asked, holding up the pelt, with a sinister grin on his face.

"Yes, now if you'd be so kind as to hand it over and save yourself the ass whoopin'." Jonathan said sternly, crossing his arms.

The shadow of Kraven laughed loudly, then his face twisted into an angry scowl.

"This is one of my most prized possessions." He declared with pride. "To simply surrender this to some rebels would be an insult to my reputation!"

"What reputation?" Iko asked, frowning. "Of stalking people and threatening them into hiring you?"

"I have built myself as the perfect protector." Kraven boasted. "I've protected many great names with my skills."

"Only if they pay you, you mean." Donnel growled. "You don't care about people's lives, only from how much money you make from leaching off of their names!"

"I am the greatest hunter of all mankind!" Kraven roared, ignoring the words said to him. "I have accomplished feats no man can! I am ABOVE the average man!"

"More like beneath." Iko snarled. "You're nothing more than a God forsaken demon obsessed with your sick desires!"

The shadow merely laughed.

"I am far more than that…" He said menacingly, wrapping the pelt around himself like a cape. "I am the APEX PREDATOR!"

And with that, his form turned black, his form shifting and growing, much to the shock of the team, as the shadow grew in size, transforming into a four legged monster, and a massive lion-like creature with cheetah spots and had Kraven's sinister smirking face, with the golden pelt chained to its back, and a large golden skull amulet around its neck.

" _With this power, no man can stop me_!" The shadow monster laughed. " _With the strength of the lion and speed of a cheetah, I am unstoppable_!"

"Be on your guard, everyone!" Iko instructed. "He's not like the other shadows we've faced!"

* * *

 **At this point, play Undefeated by Skillet.**

* * *

Drawing out their weapons, the rebels were ready for a fight. The monstrous raised its massive paw and slammed it down hard, but the rebels were able to dodge it, though the shockwave threw them off balance a little bit.

Going on the offensive, the rebels hit the monster with everything they had; gravity blasts, light and dark magic, force and time attacks, it seemed the rebels had the massive beast on the ropes, until the amulet around the beasts neck started to glow.

" _You fools think you can stop me_?!"

And with that, the monster no longer appeared hurt. In fact, it looked as though the rebels didn't even scratch it!

"It 'ealed itself?!" Donnel gaped.

"It's that amulet 'round its neck!" John yelled, readying a card. "It keeps healing him!"

"Then let's smash it to bits!" Jessamine called out.

And with that, the rebels focused their attacks on the amulet, cracking it a bit, though Monster Shadow Kraven didn't take too kindly to that.

" _Do not touch that_!" He roared angrily, swiping at the air. " _This amulet is worth more than you are, so keep your filthy hands off_!"

"When someone tells us not to do something," Jessamine smirked. "It makes us want to do it even more!"

Their plan set, the rebels unleashed every attack they could, targeting the amulet, angering Monster Kraven in the process.

John was just about to throw another card; Kraven vanished with blinding speed, before reappearing behind him, slamming him down with a massive paw, sending him crashing into the floor.

" _Time to die_!"

The monster started descending at great speeds, aiming to crush John.

"Sorry, big guy." He smirked, crossing his arms in an x formation. "Gotta vanish!"

And with that, he simply disappeared, Kraven smashing into the ground hitting nothing.

" _Wha-where did he go_?!"

While the monster looked about, John reappeared behind him, sending a card exploding into the creature's backside, causing him to flip over frontwards, landing on his back, dazed.

Taking this opportunity, Iko jumped up with a battle cry, stabbing his glaive into the amulet, then twisted his weapon, shattering the amulet.

" _My amulet_!" The monster howled in despair. " _That was priceless_ …"

The monster slumped a bit, as if moping.

"He's off balance!" Jessamine declared. "Surround him!"

The rebels surrounded the beast, all pointing their ranged weapons pointed at him.

" _You think this means anything_?!" Kraven growled. " _Don't you know who I am_?!"

"We don't give a damn." Iko huffed. "Your name or who you're associated with doesn't exempt you from the law."

"Now make it easier on yourself and surrender the treasure?" John suggested.

" _Fools_!" Kraven growled in deviance. " _You will never take this from me_!"

"You still have the strength to say that?" Jessamine shooked her head. "Then we'll give it everything we have as well!"

And with that, the rebels went all in, attacking all at once; Donnel swinging his broadsword against the monsters underbelly, John unleashing a hail of cards, shredding Kraven's fur and skin, Jessamine swung her blades, leaving scars, and Iko swung his glaive, leaving a scar over the monsters left eye.

Finishing their assault, though they wounded the beast, Kraven wasn't interested in going down so easily, letting out a deafening roar, staggering the rebels a bit.

"Damn, this is tough." Donnel groaned, recovering. "This thing has no plan on going down!"

"There has to be some sort of weakness on this thing!" Jessamine called.

Iko scanned the form of the beast, noting some of the chains that held the pelt down.

"We should try getting that pelt off!" Iko informed. "It must be covering some kind of weakness!"

"Then one of us should go for the chain on the underbelly." John pointed out. "While the rest of us draw Kraven's attention!"

"Jessie, think you can handle it?" Iko asked.

"You can count on me!" Jessamine nodded with a smirk, before disappearing into the shadows.

The trio of rebels stood their ground, as Kraven continued his assault, slamming his paw into the ground, while Jessamine snuck right underneath the beast, right under the chain holding the pelt down. With one big leap, Jessamine jumped up and swung her swords, breaking the chain and allowing the pelt to fly off and reveal a massive bald spot on the back.

" _My peeeellltttt_!" Kraven cried, distraught.

"His guard is down!" Jessamine declared, rejoining the group. "Attack the weak spot with all you've got!"

The team attacked the weak spot with everything they could throw at it; physical, gun fire, and magic attacks, until the beast went down with a painful howl, the pelt shrinking back down to its normal size and Kraven returning to his original form.

* * *

 **Song ends.**

* * *

"There's the treasure!" Jessamine pointed at the pelt. "Let's-"

But before they could make a move to the pelt, Kraven got up and stood over the pelt, raising his machete.

"Keep away!" He snarled, standing defensively over his prize. "This pelt is mine!"

"We just kicked your ass and you still want to fight?" John sighed, shaking his head. "Guess we need to teach you-"

But Iko stepped forward, standing before a frightened Kraven.

"Why must you keep fighting?" Iko asked, his expression impassive. "You've already lost. Why not swallow your pride and accept defeat?"

"Because this is all I have left!" Kraven quivered. "Body guarding and hunting is all I'm good for! All I want is to be wanted, needed. All I wanted…was to be useful to someone."

"That doesn't give you leave to do what you please." Iko said sternly.

"But what else can I do?" Kraven asked, falling to his knees, as tears fell down his face. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Confess what you've done." Iko suggested. "After some time in jail, maybe you can teach others to defend themselves instead of having them rely on you."

Wiping away the tears, Kraven looked up at Iko and smiled.

"You're right, Iko-san." He said, nodding. "I will return to my other self and make things right."

And with that, Kraven vanished in a flash of light, leaving the rebels with the pelt.

As soon as he vanished, however, the ground began to shake as cracks appeared in the structure.

"We don't have much time!" Jessamine declared, moving out the way of fallen rubble. "This place is about to collapse!"

With that, grabbing the pelt, the four ran through the structure, dodging fallen debris. As they passed by an open area, Iko stopped and looked to see Riku and some of his lieutenants at his side, smiling at Iko, before vanishing.

Sighing, Iko ran after his fellow rebels, the four reaching the exit.

* * *

The four managed to escape the collapsing world, back in the parking lot, all breathing heavy.

"Did we…do it?" Donnel heaved.

Iko took a look at his phone, the app blinking.

"The destination has been deleted."

"So, that's it, huh?" John mused. "We can't go there anymore."

"Wait, what about the treasure?" Jessamine asked.

Iko felt something in his pocket and pulled it out, revealing a small, green lion statue.

"A statue?" Donnel said, confused. "What happened to the pelt?!"

"It was the source of Kraven's desires." Jessamine said, looking at the statue. "This thing means more to him than any precious pelt."

"I think I understand." Iko nodded. "Kraven was clinging to his past glory and couldn't let go." He looked at Jessamine. "But with the treasure gone, this means Kraven'll have a change of heart, right?"

"Probably." Jessamine shrugged, licking her paw. "All we can do now is to wait and see."

"I guess so." Donnel sighed. "But damn, that was intense."

"It was worth it in the end, right?" John spoke up. "If he confesses, he'll leave you guys alone, right?"

"Here's hopin'." Donnel nodded, before smirking. "Now, let's see about sellin' that statue!"

Their work done for the day, the four made their way home.

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"So, you finally managed to take down that Kraven jerk, huh?" Ryuji spoke up.

"Sure did, lad." Donnel nodded. "It was worth it in the end."

"More than that, he wouldn't be a problem for Iko anymore." John smirked.

"That's great and all," Makoto looked at Iko. "But that doesn't explain how you ended up working at Shujin as our teacher."

"Yes, and Donnel as our classmate." Haru chimed in. "Don't misunderstand; I'm glad we met, but how you all got here was a bit confusing."

"Now that you mention it," Ann nodded in agreement. "Why were you called 'Isaac Nero' if your real name is 'Iko Abraxas'?"

"I suppose that could use some explanation." Iko mused, before nodded. "But we're almost near that point, so don't worry."

"But first, some curry." John smirked, looking towards Sojiro. "I heard this place has the best curry and coffee in all of Tokyo!"

"And me as well!" Donnel chirped. "I'm starved!"

"Sure, coming right up." Sojiro chuckled, before turning towards Akira. "Mind helping me out?"

"Sure, Boss." Akira smiled, rising from his seat.

They decided to take a break from the story to enjoy some curry and coffee, though Ryuji stuck with the soda.

* * *

 **And another chapter added! Hope you guys are still enjoying it and forgive me for taking so long. I've got a new job that's been keeping me busy, like 7 to 7, every day. But hey, at least I get paid for it lol. Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you guys keep reading and looking forward to more. Don't forget to review!**


	8. The Rebel Spectres Are Formed

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Eight: The Rebel Spectres Are Formed

Back to the story, the four were at Iko's house, having a day off from work, and they were all on the couch and Jonathan was sat in a recliner, all watching TV, though Donnel was holding a comic book and Jonathan was flipping through the newspaper, while Iko read a book on medieval mystery, with Jessamine sitting beside him.

"Sometimes, the weekends can be dull." Jonathan sighed, flipping another page.

"Well, I like the days off!" Donnel spoke up. "We don't have to worry about school or work or any other bullshit!"

"Except for those of us who _do_ have to work." Iko pointed out.

Before their conversation went further, the news came on, reporting on the arrest of Kraven. This quickly got the teams attention, watching as Kraven is taken away, the reporter revealing all of the things he did; blackmailing, murder, even kidnapping. Seeing Kraven taken away by the police, the group was amazed.

"So, it's finally over, huh?" Donnel spoke up.

"It would seem so." John nodded.

"Finally, after a year of putting up with that scoundrel's harassment," Iko sighed, setting his book to the side. "It's finally done."

The lot sat in silence for a moment, before John spoke up.

"Well, now that that's over with," He lifted a silver briefcase and set it on the coffee table. "I've looked into sellin' that statue, and you won't believe how much we got for it."

He opened up the case, and the team looked in amazement; a total of 70 thousand yen was sitting inside the case.

"No way!" Donnel gaped. "We got that much money for that small statue?!"

"You'd be surprised by how much people are willing to give for a rare artifact." John chuckled.

"So, what do we do with all this money?" Jessamine asked, jumping up onto the table.

"I say we celebrate!" Donnel declared happily. "After the hard work we pulled, we deserve this!"

"We should be careful with how much we spend." Iko frowned. "We could also use the money as a budget for future heists."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Jessamine nodded. "Question is; where do we celebrate?"

"How about that diner that opened up in downtown?" John suggested. "It has a buffet and a large selection."

"Then tomorrow, we go to this diner to celebrate." Iko agreed. "I expect everyone to be rested up and ready!"

* * *

 _Later that night, in another place…_

* * *

Iko opened his eyes and found himself inside the tent in the Velvet Room, sat in front of Gaia, who was holding a book.

"Welcome back, Rebel." She greeted with a smile. "Congratulations are in order for your victory against the Tyrant of Pride and Lust."

"Thank you." Iko bowed his head. "It was thanks to the help you provided, Gaia."

"I simply gave directions." Gaia chuckled. "You are responsible for your actions and decisions."

"There are still many threats that will stand before you." Angelus declared. "Though you were successful in this first battle, there will be others."

"For now, enjoy your celebration," Gaia suggested. "And prepare yourself for more battles to come."

* * *

 _The next day…_

* * *

The team went to a fancy restaurant, with Jessamine hiding in Iko's bag, and they sat at a booth, their plates stacked high with food, all of them enjoying their feast.

"Aw man, this is amazin'!" Donnel said blissfully, as he shoved another piece of steak in his mouth.

"Didn't I tell you so?" John asked with a smirk, bringing another fork stacked with steak to his lips. "This place is the talk of all the fancy deep pockets."

"I have to admit, John, you have good taste," Iko admitted. "I guess even a bounty hunter has to keep in mind places to eat."

"Especially a place of such high quality!" Jessamine added.

"But of course; it's a famous restaurant after all." John chuckled, before frowning. "By the way, I heard the police was supposed to come to interview some of the people at the lab."

"That's gonna be troublesome, mate." Donnel shooked his head. "Our names are gonna come up for sure, considerin' we were Kraven's targets."

"Not to mention how he kept harassing Iko to hire him," Jessamine added.

"I'm sure it won't be that much of a problem if you let me handle it," Iko advised.

"Yeah, I know." Donnel nodded, before grinning. "But we've got people at the labs talkin' though! Everyone's sayin' stuff like 'The Rebel Spectres really stole his heart!' I think some of them seem grateful! Talkin' how the Spectres have helped them keep goin' and how they feel stronger!"

"And here I was, just desperate to deal with my own problems." Iko chuckled. "Still, it feels good, knowing others are inspired by us."

"Yeah, one of the things I enjoy about bounty hunting." John declared, before looking up at the restaurant clock and nearly gasped at the time. "Aw crap! We've only got an hour left to eat!"

"Crap, you're right!" Donnel gasped, quickly standing up. "I still need to go through the meat dishes!"

After Donnel rushed off, John quickly rose from his seat.

"Look after our stuff; we'll snag some for you guys too!"

* * *

A few minutes later, John and Donnel returned, their plates stacked high with food, as they continued to chow down.

"Oh man, it's like heaven in my mouth!" Donnel sighed with bliss, his mouth full of steak.

"Be mindful of your calories, kid." John teased.

"Shuttup!" Donnel hissed. "Do you have any idea how rare it is for me an' me pa to eat anywhere as fancy and expensive as this?! I'll never be able to eat like this again!" He then frantically hesitated. "Maybe I should get a to-go box for pa…"

"Hey, what about _our_ share?" Jessamine frowned.

Donnel lazily shoved a plate of food his way.

"Couldn't figure out what ya wanted, so I just gotcha some beans."

"Beans?!" Jessamine did a double take.

"I got you a plate of random stuff." John shoved over a plate of food. "Mostly bread, fish, and beans."

"More beans?!" Jessamine gasped, before turning to Iko. "These guys have no taste. What say we get a real meal of our own?"

"Leave that to me," Iko smirked, raising from his seat, his attention to his other companions. "Look after our belongings and wait patiently for our return."

When he saw that the two weren't even paying attention, Iko walked off, a plate in one hand and Jessamine hiding in the bag under his arm. Going to the buffet, he also noticed some of the other people talking about the incident, specifically the Rebel Spectres and the calling card. As he fixed his plate, carefully, with meats, fish, rice, and desserts, he heard some of the words from the other customers; some were amazed by the actions, others not so much.

His plate stacked, Iko made his way back to his companions table.

"Hey, look who's back!" Donnel smiled with a mouthful of food. "Whaddya think of the food so far?"

"It's incredible." Iko admitted. "I'm not sure where to start."

"Well, you'd best start soon." John chuckled. "This food ain't goin' to eat itself."

In an agreement, they chowed down until there plates were cleaned, save for the to-go boxes Donnel had asked for, wanting to save some for his father. After the feast, they let out a sigh of relief.

"We did it." Donnel declared blissfully. "Worth it." He then burped. "Urg…Gotta use the restroom…"

And with that, Donnel and Iko rushed to the restrooms, with Jessamine in tow.

* * *

After what felt like and hour, Donnel emerged from the restrooms, letting out a sigh of relief, as he approached the elevator.

"That feels so much better." He sighed. "Especially after a huge meal."

He pressed the down button to call the elevator and waited. He looked around and noticed that Iko was nowhere to be seen.

"Aye, where's Iko?" He wondered. "Did he fell in?"

Iko, however, wasn't in the bathroom; he was standing at the balcony, looking up at the night sky.

"It's a beautiful night out, huh?" Jessamine asked, popping out of the bag in the chair.

"Yeah, it is." Iko nodded, before sighing. "This was Wakaba's favorite place to go to."

"You miss her, don't you?" Jessamine asked, a frown on her face.

"Yeah, I do." Iko nodded sadly.

He noticed, however, that a young woman in a business suit walked up next to him. He was taken aback by her beauty, her silver, long hair asymmetrically parted on her right side, her eyes brown with a hint of mauve red.

She looked over and her eyes widened a bit, but then soften into a gentle smile.

"Hello there, Iko-san." She greeted.

Iko cleared his throat, after recognizing who she was.

"To you as well, Niijima-san." He nodded to her.

The two paused for a moment, before Niijima spoke up.

"It has been a while since we last spoke." She said. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing better." Iko nodded. "We've made progress at the facility."

"I've also heard that a man called Vladimir Kraven was arrested." Sae said. "The police said he just had a 'change of heart' out of the blue."

"How curious," Iko feigned curiosity.

"I don't suppose you know anything else about that?" Sae asked, raising a brow.

"He's been hounding after me to hire him." Iko admitted. "He probably just caved in to his heavy conscious."

"And then there was that calling card." Sae added. "Some people claim it was a scare tactic to make him confess."

"Everyone has their two cents on the situation." Iko shrugged. "I'm just glad he won't be harassing me anymore."

"So am I." Sae nodded, before frowning. "Still, if these, 'Rebel Spectres' are in fact real, it just makes my job a lot harder."

'I highly doubt that.' Iko thought to himself.

"Well, I'd best be going." Sae sighed, turning to Iko and smiling. "I hope to see you again, Iko-san."

"And you as well, Sae-san." Iko nodded.

Before she left, however, Sae reached into her bag and pulled out a small card and gave it to Iko.

"Here, my business card." She said. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to give me a call." She turned to leave, but stopped and said, "I'm sorry about Wakaba, by the way."

Iko nodded, then Sae walked away.

"A friend of yours?" Jessamine asked.

"Yeah, we met a year ago, before Wakaba was murdered." Iko said, frowning. "We haven't spoken in a while, after her death."

"Well, it's always nice to have an old friend back in your life." Jessamine pointed out.

Leaving the conversation, Iko picked up the bag and walked back inside, meeting an irritated Donnel by the elevators.

"'Bout time you showed up." Donnel grunted.

"What's got you in a foul mood?" Jessamine asked, popping out onto Iko's shoulder.

"Some arrogant, bald bastard put me in a sour mood." Donnel sighed, calming down a bit. "He an' his posse came along and shoved me out of the way. I tried ta tell 'em they 'ad to wait their turn, but they practically ignored me!"

"Sounds like someone who could use a change of heart later on." Iko nodded, before rubbing a finger against his chin. "Though this person does sound familiar."

Putting that to the side, the two went down the elevator and back to their table, John having a sour look on his face.

"John, you alright?" Iko asked, he and Donnel taking their seats.

"Just had a run in with some pompous rich dude." John shrugged. "He started yelling at me about his plate falling to the floor, even though _he_ was the one who ran into _me_."

"People acting all high and mighty." Donnel growled, crossing his arms. "I can't stand such people."

Iko looked from Donnel to John, before coming up with an interesting solution.

"Why don't we continue as the Spectres?"

Donnel and John looked up to Iko, listening intently.

"There are no doubt still people in high places who think they're above the law." Iko explained. "They think they can just look down on others or kick down people they deem beneath them and act like they can do whatever they want, without consequences. But we have the power to prove them wrong. With it, we can change society for the better." He looked to the two. "We can't just ignore people who cry out for help when we have to power to do so. People need a ray of hope. WE can be that ray of hope for the people!"

Donnel and John looked at each other, then nodded, before turning to Iko.

"I agree, Boss." Donnel said. "Someone ought to stand for the little people and punish the bullies!"

"I'm with you on this, Abraxas." John nodded. "I'm done standing by with my hands crossed. If the proper authority won't do a damn thing to see real justice done, who will?"

"Then it's decided." Jessamine declared. "From this day forward, the Rebel Spectres are hereby born."

"Then a toast to the birth of our organization." John smirked, raising his glass.

"We are the Rebel Spectres." Iko declared, raising his glass.

"And we bleed," Donnel started, raising his own glass.

As they clinked their glasses together, they said in unison.

" _A different kind of blood_."

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"And from that day forward," Iko declared, his fingers intertwined with one another. "The Rebel Spectres were formed, vowing to bring the corrupt to justice."

"Wow that was amazing!" Ryuji whooped, a big grin on his face. "Especially how you based your team name off a bands album!"

"I've always listened to Desiple in my free time." Iko shrugged. "I always liked their music."

"Especially that last line!" Ryuji grinned. "'And we bleed a different kind of blood'. So badass!"

"I must admit, your group does reflect heavily on the bands song." Yusuke spoke up. "The bits about misfits, outcasts, black flagged mutiny seem fitting for the Spectres."

"Wouldn't the same be said of the Phantom Thieves?" Iko asked. "We're not so different, your group and ours."

"Anyways, how about more of your story, professor?" Makoto said. "We would like to know how you ended up teaching at our school and how you changed your name."

"Yeah, what was that about?" Ann asked.

"Yes, I suppose we've finally reached that point, haven't we?" Iko sighed, straightening up. "After we formed the group, I left the title of head researcher to my friend, Riku, and we moved into an apartment building in Shibuya, where we planned our later heists." He looked towards the door, then back to the teens. "But first, we've asked two more members of our team to meet here."

"I already called 'em up, while you were tellin' the story, boss." Donnel declared. "They should be here shortly."

As if on cue, the door opened, and the lot turned to see who was at the door.

Much to the Thieves shock, mostly Ann's shock, Shiho Suzui, and a young man with brown shoulder length hair, wearing faded blue jeans with cowboy boots, a black rock band shirt under an equally black jacket.

"Hello, everyone." Shiho greeted with a friendly smile.

"Howdy." The cowboy tipped his hat.

"Murray?!" Ryuji gasped loudly, practically jumping out of his seat. "Murray fucking Stone from school?!"

"And Shiho?!" Ann gasped even louder. "What the hell is this?!"

"I'm sorry we never told you about this, Ann." Shiho said, her head lowered. "You're my best friend and you deserve to know, but I wasn't sure how you would react."

"I also apologize." Murray added. "I've sworn to keep our allegiance a secret, as Shiho has."

"Why keep it a secret?" Haru asked.

"The same reason the identity of the Phantom Thieves was kept a secret." Iko declared. "We didn't want to risk any conflict with your group, especially if you found out our identities."

"We're terribly sorry for deceiving you guys." Shiho apologized.

"But when did you guys join the Spectres?" Akira asked. "And why?"

"Because of Kamoshida, at first." Iko explained. "But, as it went on, we were encountered with a different problem. While you guys were taking down Kamoshida, we were chasing down a rogue Persona User."

* * *

 **The plot thickens! First of all, I want to apologize for the late update, I've recently fallen depressed after losing my new job, so I had to clear my head for a few days. Thankfully, my good friend and confidant, 11KairiMayumi11, gave me kind words of encouragement. Thanks, buddy!**

 **I also wanted to apologize if this chapter seems rushed, I've pulled an alnighter with this one, I'm trying to fix it up if I see errors.**

 **Anyways, what do you guys think of Shiho being a part of the Spectres? What're your thoughts on Murray? Don't worry, you'll see more of them in later chapters.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys are still looking forward to more, and be sure to review!**


	9. A Fresh Start

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Nine: A Fresh Start

"…And that concludes the basics." The fat principal said. "Any questions?"

After Iko and his companion's celebration, they left Iko's hometown and moved to Shibuya to continue their missions; to give hope to the people and put an end to the mental shutdowns. After completing the move, Iko decided to enroll as a teacher at Shujin Academy, with Donnel as a student. He was hoping to get John a position as well, but John was happy with sticking to his bounty hunting profession, taking the odd jobs here and there to rake in more yen for the Rebels. Iko decided it would be best to gain a fake ID so that he wouldn't draw too much attention from those who may recognize him, so he chose Isaac Nero.

"Only how soon do I start," Iko responded.

"First thing tomorrow morning." The principal nodded. "Still, it is a good thing you applied when you did." He smiled at that. "We've been in desperate need of an expert in Psychology Education for a while now!"

"Well, given my previous field, I can give you my best, Principal Kobayakawa." Iko smiled. "Trust me; you will not regret this!"

"I should hope not." The principal said sternly. "I'm putting a lot of faith in hiring you. I have high expectations of you."

Iko had just submitted his application and he was already getting uncomfortable vibes from this overweight man. He seemed ignorant and desperate for attention and respect, and his tone seemed callous and apathetic, uncaring.

Regardless, Iko needed this job.

"I will do my best to exceed those expectations."

"Good to hear." Kobayakawa smiled. "Now, unless you have any more questions, Kawakami-san will show you to your assigned classroom."

The young woman with the yellow long-sleeved shirt, blue denim skirt, and white kitten heel shoes sighed as she ran a hand through her dark brown unkempt hair, her dark brown eyes focused on Iko.

"Follow me, if you will."

The two left the office, making their way down the halls, before exiting into the courtyard, as Kawakami let out a tired sigh.

"First a transfer student, now a new teacher for hire." She mumbled. "I can't seem to catch a break these days."

Iko noticed this and frowned.

"If you have a problem with me personally, Kawakami-chan," Iko spoke up. "I suggest you say it and be done with it."

Kawakami looked back at him, surprised.

"I meant you no offense, Nero-san." She said, regaining her composure. "I've been busy with various problems around the school, like the students showing up with bruises and a transfer student coming here..."

"Students are showing up with bruises?" Iko repeated, curious.

"Only the ones on the volleyball team," Kawakami explained. "I hope Kamoshida isn't going too hard on them…"

"And what's this about a transfer student?" Iko asked.

Before she could answer, they were approached by a 7-foot tall man with black unkempt hair and thick eyebrows, wearing a white T-shirt and black sports trousers.

But for Iko, the most standout thing about this man was his jawline.

'His face looks like the shape of a brick.' He thought.

"Hey there, Kawakami-san!" He greeted with a smile, before turning to Iko. "And who's this?"

"Nero-san, this is Suguru Kamoshida, the PE teacher." Kawakami introduced, before turning to the gym teacher. "Kamoshida, this is Isaac Nero, the new psychology teacher."

"Psychology, huh…" The mop-headed teacher mused, before frowning. "I wasn't told we were getting a new teacher." He looked Iko up and down, that frown still on his face. "I also wasn't aware the guy was a foreigner."

Iko frowned at his bluntness.

"Is that going to be a problem, Kamoshida-san?" Kawakami asked with a frown.

"No, of course not!" Kamoshida said with a toothy grin. "It's just different is all!"

Iko glared at the gym teacher, already getting an uneasy feeling from him.

"Anyways, I've heard we've got a new transfer student." The coach went on with a sigh. "What a troublesome situation."

"I can't believe they pushed someone with a record on me." Kawakami sighed. "A male teacher would be better suited for this."

Iko wasn't quite sure what they were talking about. A transfer student with a record?

"Would one of you be so kind as to elaborate for the new guy?" He spoke up.

"As I said, we're getting a transfer student who happens to have a criminal record," Kawakami said, turning to Iko. "The principal said it would help the school's reputation."

"I would've thought that my volleyball team has contributed more than enough to cover that." Kamoshida shooked his head.

Iko was starting to have a bad feeling about the principal now. Was he putting the school's reputation before the students' well-being?

"That's certainly true…" Kawakami hesitated.

"Well, just be careful, okay?" Kamoshida said with what Iko thought looked like a fake smile. "Then again, if something were to happen, I'd kick out a student like that right away."

"I keep wishing that he'd just end up not coming to school." Kawakami sighed, before shaking her head. "Still, that isn't something I should be saying as a teacher…"

"No, it isn't," Iko spoke up, a frown on his face. "Criminal record or not, the least you could do is treat him like a human being, instead of isolating him and treating him like an outsider."

"I know, I know." Kawakami sighed, looking down.

"Well, I should be returning to practice." The mop-headed teacher declared.

"Oh, right. The tournament's coming up, isn't it?" Kawakami mused.

Kamoshida chuckled a bit, making Iko a bit uneasy.

"Having such high expectations placed on you by others is quite a problem in itself." He said. "We'll have to work hard to make up for the track team too."

Iko wondered about that. Did something happen with the other sports teams?

Kamoshida walked past Kawakami, but stopped and looked at Iko with an unsettling grin.

"Good luck with trying to adapt to the teacher life."

And with that, Kamoshida walked off, leaving Iko with an unsettling feeling about the sports coach. The way he spoke to him with such arrogance already left a bad feeling in Iko.

"Is he going to be a problem for me?" He asked, turning to Kawakami.

"Don't pay him any mind." She said, waving it off. "He always gives newcomers a hard time."

The two went on, entering the main building, going up the stairs to the second floor, then down the hallway, before encountering Shiho and Murray, the two were about to leave the school.

"Good evening, Kawakami-sensei." Shiho greeted with a bow.

"Evening, Teach." Murray said with a courteous nod.

"To you as well, Suzui-san, Murray." Kawakami greeted back. "Are you two just about to leave?"

"Yes, sensei." Shiho nodded. "I just finished practice and Murray wanted to take me home early."

"Did he now?" Kawakami mused, looking at the cowboy student.

"Heading home for rest after a grueling practice isn't a bad idea, you know." He said a-matter-of-factly. "Something Kamoshida has a hard time understanding."

Iko could tell there was venom in the boy's tone upon mentioning the P.E. teacher. Was there more to him than meets the eye?

"Well, you two be careful," Kawakami said, before gesturing to Iko. "By the way, this is Isaac Nero, Shujin's new psychology teacher."

"Nice to meet you both," Iko said with a smile. "I hope to see you both in my class!"

Shiho gave friendly smile, while Murray gave a simple grin.

"Anyways your classroom is right this way." Kawakami declared, gesturing down the hallway.

Iko nodded, before turning to the two students.

"It is good to meet you two."

Shiho nodded and walked off, but Murray walked up to him and leaned in.

"Be wary of Kamoshida." He whispered, warningly. "He'll ruin your life when you're not looking."

And with that, the cowboy student jogged off to catch up with Shiho, leaving Iko confused.

"Are you sure I shouldn't worry about Kamoshida?" Iko asked, unsure.

"You have nothing to worry about, I assure you," Kawakami assured, though Iko didn't seem convinced.

The two went onward, Kawakami opening the door and they entered the standard classroom, with several posters referencing to psychology.

"So, this is my classroom?" Iko mused, walking over to the teacher's desk and took a seat. "So, this is what it feels like to be a teacher…"

"Here is the key," Kawakami said, giving him the key. "You'll need this to open the classroom."

"Thank you." Iko smiled. "You've been very helpful."

"Well, I'd best go," Kawakami said, turning. "I wish you luck."

After she left, Jessamine hopped out of the bag and onto the desk.

"So, this is your new classroom, huh?" Jessamine mused, looking about the room.

"Yeah, tomorrow will be the day I officially start as a teacher." Iko declared. "Maybe we'll find new targets while we're here."

"Maybe that Kamoshida guy?" Jessamine suggested. "From the tone he spoke to you in and from the tone of that Murray guy when mentioning him; it seems he may be trouble."

"Perhaps, but that can wait," Iko said. "For now, let's head back to the apartment and prepare."

After memorizing the path, Iko, with Jessamine in the bag, made his way back to the entrance. As he turned a corner, however, he stopped when he saw a curious young girl approach. She seemed young, almost eighteen, her skin pale and her long hair was a crimson red color. The thing that stood out for Iko, however, was the surgical mask she wore, obscuring the lower part of her face.

Iko watched as the girl got closer and stopped right beside him, before slowly turning her head to him, her piercing golden eyes locked with his brown eyes.

After what felt like thirty minutes, the girl walked onward, Iko watching as she turned a corner, towards the school.

"Well, that was weird." Iko mused. "I wonder who she was. And what's with that mask?"

"Probably a student with a cold," Jessamine suggested, popping out onto Iko's shoulder. "It's quite common for people in Japan to wear them."

Putting the matter to the side, Iko walked on, taking the train back to Shibuya and walked to his apartment.

Several hours later, Donnel and Jonathan met with Iko at his apartment for their meeting.

"Now we're undercover at the school as teacher and student," Donnel spoke up, clearly displeased with having to apply at a school. "What do we do now?"

"For now, I say we keep our heads down," John suggested. "Live a normal life until something comes up."

"Boooooooring!" Donnel moaned, before turning to Iko. "Boss, didn't you come across anything suspicious at the school?'

"Well, there was the P.E. coach I came across, Suguru Kamoshida." Iko said. "He came across as arrogant and from what I heard; it sounds like the students fare no better under his practices."

"Did he cause you any trouble?" John asked, raising a brow.

"Not yet, but I have a feeling he's about to." Iko frowned. "He didn't seem too pleased about having a 'foreigner' as a teacher at Shujin."

"The bastard sounds like a racist asshole," Donnel said bluntly before smirking. "But maybe this guy could be our next target!"

"Let's not get too hasty about this," Iko warned. "First, let's settle into the school life. THEN we'll start investigating."

Donnel let out a sigh of disappointment.

"There are two other things, actually." Iko went on, gaining the two's attention. "First, I heard talk about a student with a criminal record being transferred."

"Is it true?" John asked, curious.

"I'm not sure." Iko shrugged. "For all I know, the record could be a lie, spread about to make the kid's life harder."

"Poor kid." Donnel sighed sadly. "He deserves better."

"What about the second thing?" John asked.

"There was a young girl I came across on the way from the school," Iko revealed. "Long red hair, golden eyes and looked about eighteen I believe. She also wore a surgical mask."

"That's not uncommon, especially during the flu season." Donnel declared, before smirking. "Was she hot?"

John thumped him hard on the arm, making Donnel yelp.

"Did she look dangerous?"

"I don't think so, but she did seem odd," Iko explained, shivering a bit. "The look she gave me felt like she was trying to pierce my soul…"

"Creepy." Donnel shooked his head. "Still, you shouldn't judge someone by their appearance alone."

"That's true…" Iko sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Anyways, tomorrow is the big day." Jessamine declared. "Tomorrow, it's a new day and everyone should be ready for it!"

* * *

While the team rested for tomorrow, the girl with the mask was sat in the principal's office, said principal smiling like a complete fool.

"We're so happy to have you attending our school again, Ayuna-san!"

The masked girl didn't say anything, just sat there with her hands in her lap.

"Well, we've already completed your admission." Kobayakawa declared. "All other homerooms are full, but we have an available slot in our new teacher's room. I trust you remember the way?"

"…I remember." She spoke, nodding.

"Excellent!" He smiles. "Well, we'll see you tomorrow!"

Nodding, the girl gets up and exits and walked to the exit. Before leaving, she looks to see two female students talking to Kamoshida, the coach looking as though he was bragging about something.

The very sight of him seemed to make her blood boil, gritting her teeth, clenching her fist, as though she wanted to break something or hurt someone.

'Soon, very soon, he'll get his comeuppance.' She thought to herself. 'Soon, he will pay.'

Tearing her gaze away from the coach, she marched out of the school.

* * *

The next day, after John left to look for jobs, Donnel left for school ahead of Iko, for Iko didn't want anyone getting suspicious. After preparing and gathering his notes, and hiding Jessamine in his bag, Iko walked out onto the exit balcony, gazing at the streets.

Before he could descend the stairs, however, he looked to see Sae Nijima exit from the apartment next to his own, sighing, then her eyes widened a bit as she locked eyes with Iko. They stood there for a moment in silence, before Iko decided to speak.

"Good morning, Sae-san." He greeted with a smile.

"To you as well, Iko-san," Sae said, returning the smile. "This is quite the coincidence, us being neighbors, wouldn't you agree?"

"None that I can see." Iko chuckled. "I've retired from the researcher field and applied as a teacher at Shujin."

"Interesting transition; from highest ranking researcher to a teacher," Sae remarked. "Still, I understand why you would change professions."

"Yeah; too many ghosts." Iko nodded sadly, before smiling. "But I have a chance for a fresh start."

"That's true, I suppose." Sae shrugged. "Still, the facility won't be the same without you."

"I've left Riku in charge; I trust him." Iko pointed out.

"That's also true," Sae admitted. "Well, I wish you luck with the teacher's life."

Nodding, Iko made for the stairs, but Sae called for him.

"Iko?"

He turned to her, noticing a bit of red on her face.

"If you have time later," She began to say. "Perhaps we could spend some time together, should the time present itself."

Iko frowned at this, hesitant to give an answer.

"I…need to think on it."

Sae looked down, a bit disappointed.

"I see." She sighed. "You're still grieving and I understand."

"Sae-san…" Iko said silently.

"I'd better go." She quickly said, turning on her heel and leaving.

Iko sighed sadly. He wasn't quite sure if he was developing feelings for Sae, but he found some things he liked about Sae; her sharp wit, her good looks, her nice figure and her dedication to getting the job done. On top of that, it had been three years since Wakaba had died. Three whole years of healing, of moving on from a terrible tragedy. Now, he knew for sure that there was nothing wrong with moving on to someone new, right?

Cursing silently, he ran down the stairs and caught up to Sae, who was about to enter her car.

"Sae-san, wait!"

Sae spun her head around to Iko's direction.

"I'll be busy today," Iko explained. "But, if you're not busy tomorrow, we can arrange something after I get off work."

"Yes, of course!" Sae smiled at this. "I look forward to it!"

She got in her car and Iko watched as she drove off, then he looked up at the sky.

"I will always love you, Wakaba." He said. "But I think, after three years, it's time for me to move on. You understand, don't you?"

Iko stood there in silence, only to feel a gentle breeze in the air, brushing against his face.

"…Thank you, Wakaba." Iko smiled. "I'll never forget you."

He kissed the knuckle of his fist and raised it to the sky and without another word, got in his car and drove to the school.

* * *

"Wait, so you started dating my _sister_?!" Makoto gasped, shooting up from her seat.

"Whoa, slow down, Mako," Donnel said, putting a hand on her shoulder, urging her to sit back down.

"It didn't start out like that, Makoto-san, I assure you," Iko said. "Though, after some time spent together, it did evolve into something more."

"And she never told me about this?" Makoto grumbled, slumping in her seat.

"So, if you're dating the prosecutor now," Futaba said with a frown. "So, that means…"

"Make no mistake, Futaba, Wakaba will always have a place in my heart," Iko explained. "She wouldn't want me to grieve over her for years to come."

"I understand." Futaba nodded.

"So, back to the story," Ryuji said with a scowl. "To be honest, just looking back, especially to Kamoshida, really pisses me off!"

"I understand how you feel, Sakamoto-kun." Shiho nodded. "Given what Kamoshida had done to the other students, what he almost did to me, I wouldn't want to mention him either."

"Shiho…" Ann said softly, guilty.

"Anyways, back to the story now," Akira spoke up. "After you got the job, what happened next?"

Iko smiled a bit, turning his gaze to Akira.

"After that, we then had our first encounter."

* * *

Iko drove his car to the school. Parking his car in the parking lot, Iko grabbed his bag with Jessamine in it and walked up to the school gate. Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside, taking in the environment.

"The atmosphere feels much oppressed, for some reason," Iko remarked silently.

"Maybe it's how the students feel towards this Kamoshida character," Jessamine suggested. "Maybe it would be best to look into it."

"Once we find some form of evidence, we will." Iko nodded. "For now, let's focus on school."

Walking down the hall and up the stairs, Iko noticed some of the students giving him strange looks and whispering to each other.

"Is that the new teacher?"

"Doesn't look like much…"

"What was the principle thinking, accepting a foreigner here?!"

Ignoring the whispers, for now, Iko entered the classroom, seeing various students seated; Murray and Shiho took two of the seats in the back, next to each other, Donnel took one of the seats up front, tapping his finger against the surface of the desk. Iko also noticed two other girls; Makoto Nijima on one side of the room, closer to the door, and another with her hair put up in a sideways ponytail. He also took note of Ryuji Sakamoto on the windows side, behind Donnel, looking absentmindedly out the window, and the last student he took note of was Haru Okumura, sitting at the desk in the back row, close to the window.

His eyes widened a bit, however, when he saw the mysterious red-haired girl with the surgical mask, sitting next to Makoto, her hands crossed and she was looking down at her desk.

Shaking off the surprise, for now, Iko took notice of several other students, then walked up to the blackboard and wrote his fake name.

"Good evening, everyone!" He greeted cheerfully with a smile. "My name is Isaac Nero and I will be your psychology teacher!"

Several students whispered to each other, some gave him a weird look, which didn't seem to bother Iko at all.

"Anyways, shall we get started?" Iko said, still smiling, as he opened up a psychology book. "Now, if you will kindly open your textbooks!"

* * *

After several hours, it was time to go home. After waiting for some of the students to leave, he began packing up his papers.

"Some of the students seemed interesting, huh?" Jessamine spoke up.

"Especially that Makoto Nijima." Iko nodded. "Smart, just like Sae-san."

"And that Murray boy." Jessamine went on. "He seemed pretty smart, despite other students saying that he isn't."

"Now Sakamoto?" Iko frowned. "He was downright late for my class. I'm not sure if he was paying attention!"

"Excuse me?"

Iko looked up to see the red-haired girl, standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hello." Iko greeted kindly.

"We've met before." She said bluntly. "Yesterday, outside the school."

"Yes, I remember." Iko nodded. "I never did catch your name by the way."

"Ayuna Ichigo." The girl declared. "You're the new teacher, yes?"

Iko nodded, and the girl stepped forward.

"Be wary of Suguru Kamoshida." She growled, venom in her voice. "He will ruin your life if you're not careful."

And with that, she turned and walked out of the room.

"Well, this must confirm our suspicions about that gym teacher, right?" Jessamine asked.

"It would seem so." Iko nodded with a frown. "I understand Murray may have disdained towards Kamoshida, since his friend Shiho is on the volleyball team and he worries for her health, but this Ayuna character? What sort of connection could she have with him?"

"Maybe we should gather the others and investigate," Jessamine suggested. "Given that two of the students are saying he's a danger to the school, not to mention to the other students."

"No doubt you're right." Iko nodded. "Let's get home, first."

Packing the last of his things, and Jessamine, Iko stepped out of the room, before stopping when he came across none other than Akira Kurusu, the transfer student who should up late.

The two looked at each other for what felt like ages, before Iko spoke up.

"Hello there, Kurusu-san." He smiled. "I hope you're having a fine day today."

"I am. Thank you, Sensei." Akira said with a smile, bowing.

"I also heard you were late for school today." Iko frowned. "I trust it won't happen again?"

"No sir, it won't." Akira cringed. "I didn't mean to be late, Sensei, honest."

"Focus on your studies and you'll convince me." Iko chuckled. "Still, I would like to make your time here to be the best it can be, despite what people are saying about you."

Akira cocked his head to the side a bit, confused.

"Don't panic, but I heard from another teacher that you have a criminal record," Iko explained, careful not to say he heard it from Kawakami. "No matter if it's true or not, I believe in treating you as one of my students, rather than alienating you. I hope you can give me that chance."

Akira nodded, but the two noticed Kamoshida talking with the principal near the stairs, where they were right now, and unaware of their presence. Curious, Akira and Iko took a listen.

"Why did you allow a student like him to transfer here?" Kamoshida asked with a frown. "He's already started associating with Sakamoto. And then there's that Egyptian foreigner…"

Iko frowned at this, taking offense.

"A student with a criminal record and the culprit of an assault case." Kamoshida went on. "And that foreigner we know nothing about. At this rate, it'd be pointless how much I contribute to the school."

"Now don't be like that…" The overweight principal said. "This school counts on you, Kamoshida-kun. You are our star." He then sighed. "Still, a steady build-up is necessary behind such brilliance as well."

Iko couldn't believe how much faith that Kobayakowa is putting in this PE teacher.

"…Your troubles never seem to end, do they, Principal Kobayakawa?" Kamoshida sighed, before putting up what looked like a fake smile. "All right, I understand. I'll continue to do my best to answer your expectations of me."

The conversation finished, the two parted ways, leaving Iko and Akira both feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"I just started working and I already have a bad feeling about that gym teacher," Iko remarked.

"Well, I'd better go," Akira spoke up. "Ryuji is expecting me."

"Ah, so you made a friend already?" Iko smiled. "Well, I hope you are careful who you hang out with."

After Akira left, Iko carefully let Jessamine out of the bag and onto the floor.

"Jess, I need you to follow that Kurusu boy." He whispered. "He seemed awfully uncomfortable when looking at that gym teacher."

"Not a problem!" Jessamine nodded. "You go on ahead, and I'll relay the information back to you."

After Jessamine went off to follow the transfer student, then proceeded to leave the school.

* * *

"So you had Jessamine follow me?" Akira spoke up.

"When I saw how uncomfortable you got when we overheard Kamoshida's conversation with the principal, I got curious," Iko explained. "I had you tailed when you mentioned a castle."

"So you knew about Kamoshida's Palace?!" Ryuji gasped.

"I had suspicions, and given what Murray and Ichigo-san told me, and your talk with Ryuji, it confirmed them," Iko said. "So, I gathered the others and we decided to look into it more."

"And then there was this Ichigo character." Makoto declared. "I've seen her in your class, Sensei, but we never spoke."

"Don't sweat it, babe," Donnel smirked. "You were too busy with your studies to know that."

"Still, I was also Student Council President and it was my responsibility to help the other students." Makoto sighed sadly.

"Don't blame yourself, Mako-chan," Haru said. "You are not to blame for Kamoshida's actions."

"Who is Ayuna, anyway?" Yusuke asked. "I've never heard of someone by that name."

"From what I learned about her, one of Kamoshida's victims from the past," Iko explained. "She held a deadly grudge against Kamoshida, and no doubt it would've gotten worse."

"Sounds like she's had it rough…" Ryuji remarked.

"Indeed." Iko nodded. "Now, back to the story…"

* * *

 **And that's another chapter! Sorry for taking so long, I've been busy with stuff in real life, but fear not, I'm still working as best I can. Anyways, thank you guys so much for the support; we've reached 17 Followers, 14 Favorites and 1,604 views on this story! That's an awesome number! Thank you guys for reading this story and showing your support, I'm sorry for taking so long to get this story out and if they seemed rushed. I also want to thank my friend, 11KairiMayumi11, who has been a huge positive influence for me, she's helped me out when I was down and feeling depressed, and she helped me out of my slump. Not only that, but so did you guys. You guys read my story and gave me your thoughts and I appreciate that. Thank you guys so much for everything. And thanks to you, 11KairiMayumi11, for being a huge help. Anyways, enough rambling! See you guys in the next chapter! Don't forget to review!**


	10. Date Night

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Ten: Date Night

Iko arrived back at his apartment, entering his apartment complex, seeing John and Donnel sitting at the dining room table.

"About time you showed up." John remarked.

"Sorry, something came up." Iko said.

"Going to school is not how I imagined while being a 'defender of the weak'." Donnel sighed.

"Well, we need to blend in and not stand out." Iko pointed out.

"By the way, where'd Jessamine go?" John asked, just now noticing her absence.

"I sent her to do some scouting for us." Iko explained. "We heard something interesting and thought it'd be worth checking out."

As if on cue, Jessamine entered through the doggy door, hopping onto the table.

"Well, I've finished my eavesdropping," She declared proudly. "Those two had some interesting things to say."

"Which two?" Donnel asked. "Are you referin' to Sakamoto and that transfer student?"

"Oh yeah, and it seems my suspicions were right." Jessamine nodded. "It seems those two stumbled across Kamoshida's palace!"

"So the sleazy bastard DOES have a palace!" Donnel grinned like a fool. "I knew it!"

"But we don't have any keywords." Jessamine frowned. "All I know is that they wound up in some castle of sorts."

"So, Kamoshida seems himself as king of sorts," Iko mused. "Makes sense, seeing that he has the principal in his back pocket."

"Not to mention everyone is too scared to talk shit about him." Donnel growled.

"So, got any plans so far, Iko?" John asked. "Any plans on storming the castle?"

"Not yet." Iko shooked his head. "We still need to keep our heads down, even after three years. We can't risk drawing attention to ourselves."

"I guess that make sense." Jessamine nodded. "We still need to make preparations for the next heist. Don't want to rush things."

"Well, if this meeting is concluded, I need to get going." John said, rising from his seat. "I need to get dinner for my daughter."

After John left, Donnel stretched his limbs.

"Well, things are kinda dragging on, huh?" He said. "Still, there is truth to your words, Boss."

"I just don't want to rush things and risk things going wrong." Iko said.

"That's fine; that just means we have more time for ourselves." Donnel smirked. "And I have some time to get some training in today."

"You've been training?" Iko raised a brow.

"'Course I have!" Donnel boasted. "Don't want to get sloppy for the next time we infiltrate a Palace, eh?"

Iko couldn't help but chuckle at Donnel's attitude. Though he seems foul-mouthed and reckless, he's loyal and hardworking and Iko appreciates it.

"Besides, me pa has been running himself ragged." Donnel frowned. "The least I can do is take the load off of him."

"Your father is lucky to have a son like you." Iko remarked.

"Hehe, thanks, Boss." Donnel chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

For the past three years, Iko felt a sort of appreciation for Donnel's company. The Irish boy has put so much effort in his role in the Rebel Spectres and his enthusiasm kept the team in high spirits. He's strong, reliable, and loyal, and Iko was glad to have someone like him as his assistant.

Suddenly, he inwardly gritted his teeth when he felt a sudden throb in his head, and heard a voice echo from within;

* * *

 **-I am Thou, Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow.**

 **It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.**

 **With the birth of the Guardian Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to Freedom and new power…-**

* * *

'Guardian…?' Iko thought, rubbing a hand against his temple.

"You okay, Boss?" Donnel asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Iko assured. "Just had a small migraine."

"If you say so." Donnel shrugged, before smiling. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow!"

"As long as you don't forget your studies." Iko said. "Though we are under cover, I can't have you failing my class."

"Why'd you have to remind me?" Donnel groaned. "School is the last thing I want to think about right now."

Their conversation concluded, Donnel left for home, and Iko and Jessamine went to bed for the day.

* * *

Iko opened his eyes, finding himself inside the Velvet Room once again, seeing Gaia sitting across from him, holding what looked like a large book.

"Welcome back, Rebel." She smiled. "I was expecting you."

"Is something the matter, Gaia?" Iko asked. "It's been a while since you last called me here."

"That is true." Gaia admitted. "I only call for you when there is something I should inform you about." She turned the book to him. "This is one of those reasons."

Looking down at one of the pages, Iko saw a picture of what looked like a knight in full armor, holding a sword downward in a protective position, with Donnel's name written just below the picture.

"'Donnel Callahan,'" Iko read.

"Throughout your journey, you will meet people who can become your confidants." Gaia explained. "Confidants that can help you gain great power in order to overcome great challenges in the future."

"Like Donnel, for example?" Iko inquired.

"Yes, of course." Gaia nodded, holding up a deck of cards. "People who you can rely on to help you through your journey and grant you more power for your Persona."

Making the cards fly, she revealed various cards of mythical creatures related to vampires and other humanoid creatures.

"With this, you can make your own Persona stronger," Gaia went on. "And even create various more in order to increase the chances of success."

Iko could feel that in order to truly find the answers he's looking for, he must heed Gaia's help. He will need to build connections with others who have been robbed of their place in society.

Suddenly, he felt the same throbbing in his head, as a voice called out;

* * *

 **-I am Thou, Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow.**

 **It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.**

 **With the birth of the Titan Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to Freedom and new power…-**

* * *

The throbbing subsiding, Iko could hear ringing in the distance.

"I'm afraid our time is up." Gaia said. "We shall meet again soon."

* * *

 _The next morning…_

* * *

Morning came, and Iko went to school like yesterday, teaching the students about the basics in psychology, though he had to slam a book down on Sakamoto's desk several times when it appeared as though he wasn't paying attention. He did manage to avoid Kamoshida, though that didn't prevent him from hearing the racist comments from the P.E. teacher.

After school was done for the day, Iko informed his team in the group chats of his plans for today, and while John accepted this, Donnel was more than happy to tease him about it, but Iko didn't mind. His plans in mind, he decided to head home to prepare.

* * *

"So, you ready for your date today, Iko?" Jessamine asked.

Iko was dressed in in a fine pressed suit, consisting of a black jacket with a white undershirt, along with black trousers and dress shoes, and a black tie around his neck. Normally, he'd never be caught wearing something like this, unless he wanted to make a good impression or if he's at a formal gathering. Otherwise, he's never been a big fan of suits.

"Yeah, I'm ready." Iko declared. "I'm gonna make sure Sae is treated to a good time."

"You seem to be treating this as a date than a simple hang out." Jessamine remarked.

"We've known each other for a long time." Iko said. "After her father died, our friendship started under the guise of counseling. She was going through a tough time and I was there to help her through it. I thought now would be a good time to rebuild that friendship."

"I like the sound of that." Jessamine said, licking her paws. "Well, I wish you luck and have fun!"

Nodding, Iko stepped outside, locking the door behind him and waited. Several minutes later, he saw Sae Nijima stepping out of her apartment. She wore a black one piece long-sleeved dress that reached her knees, a pair of high-heeled shoes and had her hair up in a neat bun.

Iko couldn't help but stare in awe at her natural beauty.

"So, ready to go?" Sae asked with a smile.

Snapping out of his trance, he smiled.

"Yes, of course."

The two went down the stairs to the parking lot, getting into Iko's car and drove off for the date.

* * *

Back at the school, Murray leaned against the wall of the gym, watching the students practice for the volleyball rally on the next day. Though in his point of view, it looked more like torture, rather than actual practice; Kamashida was yelling at the volleyball team members like some drill sergeant, spouting insults left and right, even hitting some of the members, with Mishima being the main target of the abuse, much to Murray's disgust.

After what felt like an hour, he smiled as Shiho walked his way, wearing her school uniform and her school bag over his shoulder.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Murray-san." She smiled warmly. "Ready to go?"

"If you are, yeah." Murray nodded. "And don't sweat it. It's totally worth waiting for you."

"Glad to hear it." Shiho smiled, blushing a bit.

The two started to leave the gym, though Shiho took one last to look back at the torturous training exercise's being thrown at the students, mostly at Mishima, who took the brunt of the abuse. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him, yet there was nothing she could do.

The two left the gym and walked down the halls, though Murray could see the downcast look on Shiho's face.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"I don't know, Murray." She sighed. "Sometimes, I think that nothing can change things. No matter what we do, Kamoshida has his way, and the principal simply lets him carry on, no matter how badly it affects us."

"Shiho…" Murray frowned.

Shiho looked over to one of the clouded windows, then walked over to it. Murray watched as Shiho ran her finger across the window, drawing a simple sad face, before running her finger down the face, making what looked like a tear.

"Are we just…destined to this fate?" She asked softly, her head hanging low.

As if on instinct, Murray walked up to her and wrapped her in a gentle hug.

"Shiho, don't ever say such things." He said sternly. "Things can change. We must never lose hope."

From around the corner, Ayuna was listening to the whole conversation, her fists clenched.

"I won't," She seethed silently. "I won't let there be any more victims…"

* * *

Iko and Sae arrived at the restaurant for their date, a large and popular one at that, for its many choices of meals and has a bar. After being seated, the two waited for their meals.

"You're going to love this place, Iko." Sae declared proudly. "This place the best lobster you'll ever taste!"

"It's been a while since I had lobster." Iko admitted. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever had lobster before!"

"Well, consider this the refresher course." Sae chuckled. "Trust me; you'll be glad you came."

After their food arrived, the two dug in, though while Iko took small, simple bites of his food, he noticed that Sae was taking massive bites, practically rushing to finish her meal, though it didn't seem to bother Iko at all. In fact, he seemed amused by it.

After finishing their meals, the two moved on to the bar.

"You're right about the lobster being good." He chuckled. "I can tell from how you eaten it so quickly."

"Oh, my apologies." Sae said, blushing a bit. "I just can't seem to control myself when it comes to the food here."

"No need to apologize." Iko said with a smile. "If anything, I like it when a woman shows their mores boyish side."

Before their conversation could continue, a large, bearded man walked up and smacked Sae on the bottom. Chuckling, he attempted to walk off, only for Iko to grab his shoulder and spun him back around.

"Mister, you better apologize, before-"

Before Iko could finish, however, Sae grabbed the bearded man by his testicles, squeezing tightly, making the man squeal loudly.

"…that." Iko finished.

"Say the magic words, Fat Gandalf." Sae snarled.

"I am so sorry." The man quickly said. "I don't have a filter between my head and my-"

Sae suddenly squeezed harder, shutting him up and making him cringe.

"Okay, enough, hakina his tatas!" Iko urged. "He's sorry."

Sae looked at Iko for a moment, then released the large man, letting him walk away, quite scared.

"Get out of here, go." Iko shooed him. "Go cast a spell."

After paying for their food, the two left the restaurant, walking down the sidewalk.

"You certainly showed him not to put his hands where they don't belong." Iko remarked.

"Sorry you had to see that." Sae let out a sigh. "I've had my fair share of sexual harassment in the workplace. My father trained me in defending myself in kickboxing, remember?"

"Your father was a great man." Iko nodded. "He'd be proud to see how far you've come."

The two walked onward, before arriving at the park. Walking down the dirt path, the two stopped at the lake where they saw several ducks.

"It's become a lovely night out." Iko declared.

"I remember the times my father used to bring me and Makoto out here." Sae said. "We would bring some bread to feed the ducks with."

Iko looked at some of the ducks in the lake, then got an idea, before pulling out a loaf of bread.

"How about this?" He asked, surprising her.

"When did you get this?" She asked.

"Just a few minutes ago; from that convenience store earlier." He said, shrugging.

The two spent some time feeding the ducks until they ran out of bread, they then decided to head home. Getting in the car, they returned to their apartment complex, stopping outside Sae's door.

"Well, I had a lovely time." Sae said with a smile, turning towards Iko. "Thank you for such a nice time."

"Glad I could do so." Iko nodded, smiling back. "Any chance we can make plans for another day?"

"Sadly, today was my only day off." Sae sighed. "But maybe we can make plans for the next time."

Iko nodded, then Sae closed in and planted a kiss on his cheek, before backing up with a smirk.

"See you next time, Iko."

She then entered her apartment, closing the door behind her, leaving Iko with the reddest he's ever been. Smiling blissfully, Iko went back to his own apartment to get ready for the next day.

* * *

 _Back to the present…_

* * *

"And so you started dating the prosecutor?" Sojiro inquired with a raised brow. "I always did peg you as the ladies man."

"That wasn't how I was at all, Sojiro." Iko grinned. "If anything, that's _your_ department."

"Romance is certainly a beautiful thing." Yusuke remarked.

"Still, it's hard to believe that my homeroom teacher has been dating my sister all this time." Makoto said with a sigh.

"I still can't believe you dated the woman who threatened Sojiro." Futaba said with a frown.

"What do you mean?" Iko asked with a raised brow.

"She's been threating Futaba's custody over Wakaba's research." Akira explained.

"Oh, I see." Iko let out a sigh." I apologize for the trouble she may have caused you."

"Ah, don't sweat it, Teach!" Ryuji smirked. "We're just glad to have her on our side now!"

"Anyways, what about the story?" Ann inquired. "How did you guys finally get inside the castle?"

"It was the day of the volleyball rally that we infiltrated the castle." Donnel declared. "But first, we called in another confidant of ours."

The bell rang again, the teens looking to see Mishima enter.

"Hey guys." He greeted sheepishly.

"Mishima-kun?" Haru did a double take. "Why are you here?"

"Because he's another member of our group." Iko revealed.

This seemed to surprise the teens a great deal, having found out that the admin of the Phansite was a member of the Rebel Spectre's.

"Anyways, let's get back to the story." Iko began. "On the day of the volleyball rally, we not only infiltrated Kamoshida's Palace, but we also gained a new member."

* * *

 **And Mishima joins the fray! And we se Iko and Sae go on a date.**

 **I apologize for taking so long to update, I've been busy with things lately. I've also found a new job! So, yeah, wish me luck!**

 **Nothing much else to say, except thanks for reading and hope you can continue to do so. Anyways, have a good day and be sure to review!**


	11. Mishima Fights Back

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Eleven: Mishima Fight's Back

Today was the volleyball rally and to say that things didn't look good for the students was a bit of an understatement. Iko watched as the teacher's team was basically decimating the team of students; especially with Kamoshida on their team. Even with Murray, who has a history of training in sports with his parents in the past, and Shiho, who has shown to already be quite the pro, the student's team struggled to keep up. Iko couldn't help but feel sorry for the students, for their chances of winning seem slim.

Not to mention poor Mishima has been taking most of the hits; most of them from Kamoshida, who tends to hit Mishima with his volleyball shots, and they look like they hurt.

"Poor students don't stand a chance." Iko said silently, sighing. "Especially Mishima."

Donnel stood next to Iko, watching the match with distain.

"Just watching makes me sick." Donnel grumbled, shaking his head. "Kamoshida is practically assaulting Mishima and he gets praised for it!"

Iko nodded, before looking over to see Ryuji and Akira sitting on the floor against the wall of the gym, Ryuji looking quite bored of the rally, while Akira looked quite impassive.

Thinking for a moment, Iko decided on an idea.

"Hey, Donnel, why don't you go over and get friendly with those two boys?" He suggested. "They could certainly use a friend, despite what other people think of them. Plus, it would help to give them a friend that could help them through this."

"You know what; you're absolutely right, boss." Donnel agreed. "Hell, might as well help them feel less like outcasts."

As Donnel walked over, Iko watched, seeing Donnel approach the two boys, seeing them welcome him, before looking back to the volleyball game, watching as Kamoshida hit the ball with what looked like an impressive spike, launching it straight for Mishima's face. It almost made contact, but Murray managed to stop it with his hand, shocking the crowd, then started spinning it on his finger.

Iko watched Kamoshida glare at Murray, who simply smirked, then looked to Mishima, the two nodding, before resuming the game. The game went on, the ball being bounced back and forth, the students doing better and acting more with strategy and not giving Kamoshida a chance to hit his championship winning spike, which seems to anger him. Murray kept this up, until he gave Mishima the hand signal, then he tossed it into the air, then Mishima jumped up, as he bared his teeth and strained a bit, then hit the ball with all his might, sending it soaring over the adults, right towards Kamoshida, though the ball went a bit lower than intended…

 _Bam!_

Everyone in the room gasped, as Kamoshida's face twisted with serious pain, his knees buckled a bit, then the volleyball fell from between his legs, as he then fell face first to the floor.

The room was almost silent, save for the few students whispering, the teachers were absolutely stunned by what he occurred, Mishima's mouth dropped in shock at what he did, as he then rushed to the gym teacher's side, constantly saying sorry over and over, as Murray followed close behind.

Iko couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, watching as Kamoshida was being taken away by two other teachers. He saw that Mishima was still in shock, then Murray walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it a bit, and looked as though he was assuring him that everything is fine, getting an affirmative nod from the teen, before everything calmed down and everyone went back to the game.

"That was impressive, for Mishima's size." Iko mused. "Murray must have been truly coaching him. Perhaps he even orchestrated that nutshot…"

* * *

A few hours later, the game concluded, the students winning by only one point, the students congratulating Mishima, as the teachers and students filed out of the gym.

"That was one hell of a match-turner, Boss!" Donnel declared, meeting up with Iko. "Damn, Kamoshida must be regretting his decision to pick on Mishima at this point!"

"Or he could be brewing over how he could punish the poor kid." Jessamine countered. "There's no way Kamoshida's gonna let an action that took a blow to his ego slide."

"Anyways, it's time we head out," Iko whispered. "It's time we pay a visit to Kamoshida's Palace."

"About damn time!" Donnel smirked.

As they made their way to the exit, however, they saw Mishima cornered by Ryuji and Akira, with Murray by his side, his arms crossed and a stern look on his face.

"Looks like we're not the only ones doin' some investigatin'," Donnel remarked silently.

"If only they knew." Jessamine sighed.

They got a bit closer; close enough to hear the conversation, but far enough away so they aren't made suspicious, as they listened.

"C'mon, Murr-Man, we just wanna chat," Ryuji said, looking at the cowboy student.

"I'd appreciate it if you never called me by that name ever again," Murray said sternly. "And in case you couldn't tell, Mishima has had a long day, so I'm gonna make sure he gets some rest."

Mishima simply looked down at the floor, almost ashamedly.

"Yeah, whatever. But we have some questions to ask first." Ryuji shrugged it off, crossing his arms as he looked to Mishima. "So, Kamoshida's been 'coaching' you, huh?" He then narrowed his eyes. "You sure it's not just physical abuse?"

"Certainly not!" Mishima denied shakily.

"Why're you talkin' all polite for?" Ryuji frowned. "Anyways, he almost spiked you today. Right in the face. If Murray hadn't stopped it…"

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport…" Mishima said, almost sighing.

"Then there was that complete turnaround too." Ryuji went on. "The way you spiked that ball and hit Kamoshida dead in the nuts…"

Mishima opened his mouth to speak, but Murray beat him to it.

"That was a result of me coaching him."

"Coaching him?" Ryuji repeated, glaring at the cowboy. "How do we know that you're not abusing him as well?"

"How dare you accuse me of something so atrocious!" Murray snarled.

"Ryuji, please," Akira urged, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's better for us to not make things more complicated by pointing the finger."

"Besides, Murray has been nothing but good to me!" Mishima interjected. "He's been making sure I'm recovering! He's also helped me practice. It's not great, but it helps!"

Ryuji cringed at this, and Iko and Donnel seemed surprised at the boy's outburst. Even Murray was surprised by Mishima's defense of him.

"Sorry, man." Ryuji apologized with a sigh. "I was just worried that other students might be abusin' Mishima is all."

"I accept your apology." Murray nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I'll be taking Mishima home now."

"Taking who home?"

The students turned to see Kamoshida coming their way, the very sight of Kamoshida making Mishima wince nervously. Iko, Donnel and Jessamine already had a bad feeling about this, yet were surprised to see how well the coach was walking, despite taking a shot to his pelvis.

"Mishima, 'Sensei'." Murray frowned, before crossing his arms, using 'sensei' very loosely. "And I thought you were still recovering from that nutshot from earlier?"

Ignoring Murray's other statement; Kamoshida turned his gaze to Mishima.

"Is that true, Mishima?"

Iko could tell by Kamoshida's tone that it wasn't a question; it sounded more like a command.

"I-I'm not feeling well today…" Mishima said timidly.

"What? That kind of attitude is what makes you fall behind in the team's progress." Kamoshida said with a sneer. "Maybe you're better off quitting then."

Mishima went pale upon hearing this, while the others looked shocked, but the coach went on without a care.

"You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice."

Iko couldn't believe the things he was hearing. 'He's seriously forcing Mishima-san to practice in his current state?' He thought angrily to himself.

"Didn't you hear? He ain't feelin' well!" Ryuji approached the coach with a scowl.

Ignoring him, Kamoshida gave Mishima a sharp look, "So, Mishima? Are you coming to practice or not?"

To Iko, that didn't sound like either a request or a question; it sounded a lot like a command.

"…I'll go." Mishima said with a dejected sigh.

The student's looked at Mishima in shock at his response.

"At least you're still using your head," Kamoshida said with a wicked grin, before turning his attention to Murray. "As for you; any more trouble out of you and you'll be gone from this school for sure; along with that troublesome blonde there."

"…Bastard." Ryuji said under his breath with a scowl.

Murray simply gave him a stern glare.

"Same goes for you." Kamoshida turned his glare to Akira. "Didn't the principal tell you to keep in line? All these unsettling rumors are making the other students anxious after all."

"That's your own goddamn fault." Ryuji snarled.

Ignoring that, Kamoshida simply turned his back to them.

"Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn." He said sternly. "Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here." He looked over his shoulder at them with a stern glare. "Get with the program!"

And with that, Kamoshida walked off, leaving some of them angry, Akira pushed his glasses up with a frown.

"That asshole…" Ryuji seethed, clenching his fist. "I swear, he's gonna pay for this!"

"Mishima, what the hell was that about?" Murray demanded, turning to Mishima. "Why the hell didn't you say no? Are you seriously gonna let that bastard walk all over you?!"

"…There's no point." Mishima said with a sad sigh. "Proving that he's physically abusing us…is meaningless. Everybody knows…The principal, our parents…They all know, and they all keep quiet about it."

"What?!" Ryuji gasped loudly at this in absolute shock. "This has got to be some sick joke…!"

"That's no excuse to let him walk all over you!" Murray snapped. "All you're doing is making excuses for why you can't have a spine! If you let this continue, everyone else is just gonna walk all over you-"

"Just stop!" Mishima snapped loudly.

The students were taken aback by Mishima's sudden outburst; Iko, Donnel and Jessamine looked on in surprise.

"You don't understand anything, Murray!" Mishima seethed. "All you've ever done was get me into trouble with Kamoshida! Everything you do against him, he takes it out on me, and now it's gonna get even worse because you can't take a damn hint!"

Murray stood there, too shocked to think up a reply, as Mishima turned away.

"Please…just leave me alone. Stop being a pain."

And with that, Mishima took off, leaving the teens stunned. Murray simply hung his head in shame, as he turned to the exit in shame and left.

Iko and Donnel saw the whole thing play out, shocked by the result.

"So not only is that Kamoshida guy a narcissist," Donnel growled. "He's a racist, an abuser, harasser, and even blackmails students if he doesn't get his way!"

"This man is one of the many scum that plagues this world." Iko nodded, seeing Ryuji and Akira go their separate ways. "After we step outside, give John a call; we're infiltrating Kamoshida's Palace right now."

"Finally, some action!" Donnel smirked, pulling out his cellphone.

* * *

Down the halls, Mishima ducked into the bathroom, shaking heavily, as he splashed cool water against his face for the third time, his hands gripping the sides of the sink tightly, as he looked at his own reflection, seeing the bruises that littered his face.

"Why am I so weak?" He thought aloud, as Murray's words echoed in his mind.

' _If you let this continue, everyone else is just gonna walk all over you!'_

"Murray-senpai…" Mishima groaned, before slamming his hand against the wall. "He's been nothing but good to me; always helping me up where everyone else would let me writhe in pain. He lent an ear whenever I needed someone to talk to." He felt the tears well up in his eyes. "So why? Why do I keep letting him down?"

After taking a few moments to let the tears flow, he noticed that his phone was buzzing.

"Must be Kamoshida, wondering where I am…" He sighed.

Fishing his phone out of his pocket, h was confused at what he saw.

"What's this?" He wondered. "An eyeball?"

The Metaverse Navigator pulsed, repeating the words 'Suguru Kamoshida', 'castle', and 'Shujin Academy', before asking, "Would you like to begin navigation?"

Looking at the strange app and noticing that it's also voice activated, Mishima swallowed nervously before speaking.

"Y-Yes."

"Beginning navigation."

"W-Wait, hold on!" He cried out, frantic. "I'm not prepared for this kind of trip!"

Regardless of his complaints, Mishima felt the world around him change, as he is swallowed in the distortion.

* * *

Iko and Donnel met up with John at the entrance of the school, preparing for their infiltration.

"Alright, today is the day!" Iko declared, though not too loudly. "We'll be infiltrating Kamoshida's Palace and secure a route to his treasure!"

"About damn time, if you ask me!" Donnel said with a smirk. "I can't stand that bastard! The way he acts all sleazy towards the female students and treats the male students like garbage is just unacceptable!"

"That guy's been on my hit list for a while now." John nodded. "Hopefully, there won't be any need for an assassination."

"Do you really have to be so nonchalant about murder?" Donnel cringed a bit, before turning to Iko. "So, we've already got the keywords?"

"For Kamoshida, Shujin Academy is the place." Iko declared, holding up his phone. "I think it's obvious on what his distortion is…"

Inputting the third keyword 'castle', the world around them distorted and they entered the Metaverse, the school transforming into a massive castle, and the Rebels changing into their Metaverse outfits.

"So, this is Kamoshida's Palace, huh?" Donnel whistled sharply, gazing at the medieval structure. "He must really see Shujin as his castle."

"What do you think that makes the principal?" John inquired.

"The jester?" Donnel shrugged jokingly.

"Let's stop speculating and get to work," Jessamine spoke up. "First, we'll need a point of entry into the castle."

Looking around, they found what looked like a busted ventilation shaft near the main door.

"What about this?" Donnel pointed out. "Those kids already gave us a point of entry."

"Good on them." John nodded. "Now, let's head inside!"

"Be on your toes, everyone," Iko warned. "Who knows what sort of traps we'll face."

Sneaking inside through the vent, the group entered the cellar, where thankfully there were no guards patrolling. Exiting into a hallway, they heard noises coming from the foyer.

"What's going on out there?" Donnel wondered.

Curious, they peeked from behind the door, seeing several knights in bulky armor standing before what looked like Kamoshida's Shadow, who wore a small crown on his head and a red cape with pink hearts…no, really, he literally wore nothing else, but the cape, crown, and a pair of slippers and what looked like a pink thong, showing his hairy legs.

"He's…not wearing any clothes…" John slowly said awkwardly.

"Jesus Christ, this guy has no shame!" Donnel gagged, covering his eyes. "Have some damn decency, man!"

"He's so lustful, that he doesn't fully cover himself." Jessamine grimaced.

They watched as the Shadow of Kamoshida addressed the guards.

"Those intruders the other day were quite entertaining." He declared sternly. "However, I can't allow that trash to ransack my castle!" He then waved his arm out. "Strengthen the security! Kill them on sight! I'll reward whoever brings me their heads."

"Praise be to King Kamoshida!" The guards declared aloud in chorus. "Death to the intruders!"

The Spectres watched from the side hall before Donnel looked over to Iko.

"He must be referring to those two boys, I bet," John remarked.

"Hey, Boss?" He whispered. "Can't we just beat the shit outta this guy and call it a day?"

"That's not how the operation works, Apollyon," Iko said. "We're here to secure a route to the treasure. Besides, given the large number of soldiers in there, it'd be suicide."

"Anubis is right." Jessamine chimed in. "The treasure must take priority."

In agreement, the team went down the hall and through another doorway, going down a flight of stairs before entering the dungeon section of the castle.

"Man, this place comes with a dungeon and everything!" Donnel remarked. "Too bad he can't think up nice dancing girls."

"If this place has a dungeon," John said grimly. "Then it must be even worse down below."

"Let's see what he's got down below," Iko said.

The team went down several halls, sneaking past some of the guards, before coming upon a wide room with a sentry table and a barrel, with a massive sign over the double doors.

"What kinda bullshit is this?!" Donnel said aloud, glaring at the sign. "It's in Japanese too!"

"Keep your voice down; I got it." John sighed, before giving the sign a read. "Kamoshida's…Training Hall…of Love? That doesn't sound good."

"Whatever Kamoshida has in this castle can never be good." Iko declared bluntly. "Now, let's see what he's got in store for us."

Before they could proceed, however, they heard a yelp.

"What was that?" Donnel asked, looking about the room.

Looking around, Iko noticed that the barrel in the corner of the room was somewhat shaking a bit.

"Whoever's over there, come on out!' He commanded, standing before it. "We're not that foolish."

After about a minute, the person finally peeked out of the barrel, revealing to be…

"Mishima?!" Donnel gasped in surprise. "What the hell?!"

"Wait, that voice," Mishima narrowed his eyes for a moment before his eyes widened in shock. "Donnel?!"

Everyone froze in surprise before Donnel coughed nervously.

"N-No, who is this 'Donnel' fellow you speak of!" He said, chuckling nervously. "Although, I had heard that he is quite the handsome little devil."

"Seriously?" John gave him a deadpanned expression.

"I know it's you; Donnel Callahan! I recognize your voice anywhere!" Mishima frowned, before gesturing to his outfit. "And you honestly call that a disguise?"

"Well, it fooled everybody else!" Donnel defended.

"That's because nobody knows about what we do in the Metaverse, stupid!" Jessamine narrowed her eyes at him.

"And the cat is talking?!" Mishima gasped, shaking a bit with a hand pressed against his forehead. "Someone, please tell me I'm dreaming…"

"Sorry, Mishima, but this is no dream." Iko shooked his head.

"Wait a minute," Mishima said, taking a look at Iko. "You're that new teacher, right? Professor Nero?"

"That's half right, yes." Iko nodded, removing his mask. "However, there are some things I need to inform you of…"

After several minutes of explaining to Mishima about the Metaverse, Mishima wasn't very certain what to think.

"This is so much to take in," Mishima admitted, sitting on a wooden chair. "Cognitions, Palaces…this feels too much!"

"Take your time, lad," Donnel said. "Trust me; it took me a while to understand things on my first time."

"So you guys are a group called the Rebel Spectres, right?" Mishima said. "After changing the heart of a pushy mercenary, you decided to continue." He then turned to Iko. "And your name isn't really Isaac Nero, but Iko Abraxas?"

"Yes, that is correct." Iko nodded. "I've researched cognitive pscience for several years now. I'm sorry we deceived you."

"But why the secrecy?" Mishima asked. "Why keep the whole Metaverse thing a secret?"

"Because we'd rather keep the clown responsible for the Mental Shutdowns from targeting them," John answered.

"Clown? Wait; You mean the Mental Shutdowns are for real?" Mishima gasped.

"It would seem so." Jessamine nodded, before turning to Iko. "Hey, this might be a problem if we leave him here. We should get him out of here!"

"It might be for the best." Iko nodded in agreement. "We can't risk him getting hurt."

"Wait, what's going on here, exactly?" Mishima asked.

"A lot of stuff that kinda reflects in the real world," Iko answered. "It's hard to explain, but we'll talk about it-"

"Then take me with you!" Mishima said sternly. "I need to see what goes on in Kamoshida's head!"

"Out of the question, lad." Donnel shooked his head. "It's too dangerous for you to be taggin' along; it's too dangerous."

"But I need to see for myself!" Mishima said defiantly. "If the rumors are true, then I need to see with my own eyes!"

Thinking for a moment, Iko wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring Mishima along; he doesn't have a Persona and certainly couldn't fight. But even if they refused, he would just come back, since he no doubt has the navigation app now.

It was a risk, but Iko knew he'd have to take it.

"Alright, you can come." He declared. "But when the fighting starts, stay behind us. We don't need you getting hurt."

"Boss, are you sure about this?" Donnel asked warily. "I don't think it would be a good idea."

"We'll make sure he stays out of trouble," Iko assured. "Besides, there don't seem to be any guards down here; we should be fine."

"Famous last words," John remarked silently.

The group moved onward, with Mishima following at a short distance, going down several hallways, before crossing over a bridge, then finally coming across several sets of bars. Curious, the group approached the bars, peering through the bars.

What they saw was a terrible sight; the knights beating down the slaves with the blunt end of their spears.

"What the-?!" Mishima did a doubletake at the sight, unsure on what to say.

"Those knights are just casually beating up those guys like there's no tomorrow," John remarked grimly.

"That's just…barbaric," Iko added sadly.

"Damnit! This is bullshit!" Donnel roared angrily, slamming his fist into the wall.

"Hey, keep your voice down!" Jessamine scolded him.

"But this is beyond screwed up!" Donnel seethed angrily. "How can a teacher possibly think like this?!" He then turned to John. "C'mon, Spider, open this up!"

"Relax, will ya? I'm on it." John sighed, before approaching the cell door and pulling out a set of lock picks. "This is just like the old days…"

"By the way, I don't remember seeing you around the school," Mishima remarked, facing John.

"I'm a bounty hunter of sorts, kid," John said casually. "I've done plenty of things in my younger days."

As he said that, a slave in shorts walked over to them, "Stop it…! Leave us alone… It's useless…"

"Huh?" Donnel did a double take at this.

Another slave approached them, "If we stay obedient, we won't be executed like those other guys!"

"What the hell?" Donnel gasped slightly. "You mean you want to stay in this hellhole?!"

"These guys must be different from the ones in Kraven's compound," Jessamine remarked sadly as the slaves walked off. "They've submitted to their fate here."

"Nothing much we can do then." Iko sighed. "For now, we'd best get out now before the Shadows find us."

The Spectres went back over the bridge, with Mishima following close behind, who took one last look at the barbaric scene with a sad expression, before catching back up with the others.

* * *

Making their way back up the route they came in through, the Spectre's came upon the doorway that leads to the foyer, Kamoshida's shadow and the knights were nowhere to be seen.

"Looks like we're in the clear." Donnel spoke up. "No Shadows around."

"Let's be careful though." Iko warned. "We don't want to risk running into any Shadows."

As they approached the door, however, two knights appeared in between them and the exit, both brandishing swords.

"Shit!" Jessamine swore. "We took too long!"

"So, these are the other scum that's been littering about my castle?"

They turned to see the Shadow of Kamoshida himself at the foot of the stairs, with two golden guards at his sides, the Shadow himself grinning wickedly.

"To think that more of these fools would be stupid enough to set foot in my castle." The Shadow shooked his head, before setting his sights on Mishima. "And they brought Mishima as well. How sad."

"K-Kamoshida?" Mishima stuttered, unsure what to say.

"Not really; just his Shadow." Iko said, pulling out his glaive. "A side of him that no one can see."

"His shadow…?" Mishima repeated. "I don't understand…"

"The school ain't yer castle, ass-clown!" Donnel yelled angrily, his sword gripped tightly. "We're not gonna let you treat these students like dirt anymore!"

"We are rebels who defy tyrants like you." John declared. "We are the Rebel Spectres."

"Rebel Spectres…" Mishima repeated silently.

"You fools actually think you have a chance against me?" S. Kamoshida gave an arrogant smirk. "Scum like you never learn your lesson."

"You're the real scum, Kamoshida!" Iko countered. "Treating male students like dirt and the female students like sexual objects. You're a disgrace of a teacher!"

"And you're nothing but foreigner trash that should stay where they belong; in the garbage!" S. Kamoshida retorted, before waving to the knights. "Kill them! And don't sully my castle with these scum."

The Knights changed their appearance, turning into what looked like five Dirty Two-Horned Beasts.

"Mishima, get back!" Iko commanded, preparing his glaive.

"This is unbelievable…" Mishima muttered, almost to himself. "How can any of this be real?!"

The Dirty Two-Horned Beasts got closer, all neighing in anticipation, as the Rebels readied their weapons.

" _I'll kill you!"_ One of them declared. " _I'll kill you because King Kamoshida told us! I'll kill 'cause that's what he wants!"_

"If Kamoshida told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?" Donnel asked sarcastically. "Actually, don't answer that, 'cause I know what you'll say.

"Be ready, you guys!" Jessamine declared, drawing out her rapiers. "These aren't like the ones in the jungle!"

The Rebels prepared themselves, as the Beasts charged forward, but the Rebels were quick to dispatch them; John unleashed a hail of playing cards, shredding one of the Beasts. Donnel swung his sword, severing all four limbs of one of the Beasts, sending it tumbling into the dirt. Jessamine jumped over one of the Beasts that charged at her, landing on its back, then thrusted her rapiers into the Beast's neck, killing it. Iko stood ready, as the last Beast charged at him, then jumped and spun, swinging his glaive, severing the Shadows head.

Thinking the fight was done, the Rebels made to approach, but suddenly, more Dirty Beasts appeared, much to their shock.

"What the hell?!" Donnel gasped. "Where did they come from?!"

"Do not underestimate my men." S. Kamoshida said smugly. "They will do anything for their king."

Standing strong, the Rebels continued to fight back against the waves of Shadows that continued to spawn. No matter how hard they fought, the Shadows kept coming.

"Damnit, they just keep coming!" Donnel growled, breathing heavy.

"How can a bunch of Shadows be so loyal?" John remarked.

Mishima could see that they were getting exhausted, and the horde of Shadows just kept coming.

"Damn, there's no end to them!" Jessamine panted.

The Shadows approached menacingly, as Iko looked back to Mishima.

"Mishima, listen carefully," He said sternly. "You need to get out of here! Go warn Sakamoto and Kurusu!"

"What?" Mishima gasped. "You want me to abandon you?!"

"Someone has to know what happened here!" Iko said. "Just go!"

"But…" Mishima stuttered, unsure of what to do.

"What's the matter, Mishima-kun?" S. Kamoshida sneered. "Gonna run away again?"

"I…" Mishima couldn't think of anything to say in return.

"You leave him outta this, assbag!" Donnel shouted angrily. "You've done nothing but treat him like a punching bag!"

"Because I'm king and therefore can do whatever I want." S. Kamoshida said smugly, before grinning wickedly. "Tell me, Rebels; do you know the secret behind that transfer scum's records being made public?"

Mishima's eyes widened at this and his skin paled.

"What secret?" Iko demanded. "You're the one that's been spreading it around in the first place!"

"Actually, Mishima's the one who made it public." S. Kamoshida said with a casual shrug. "He's always been good with computers; he knows how to hack into databases. Informatics is his only real talent."

"What…?" Iko gasped, shocked by this.

"You forced me to do it!" Mishima snapped. "You knew I needed the scholarship in volleyball, so you used it to blackmail me into leaking his records! You said it was that or I could forget college!"

Something deep down snapped inside of Iko. To hear of such disturbing things of a teacher going so low as to blackmailing a student into hurting another. For what? If that were to have happened with Futaba…Hell hath no fury.

"Kamoshida, you are an absolute monster!" He roared, forcing himself up. "You have NO moral conscience and you step on others for the sake of your ego! I swear, I will not rest until you are brought down!"

Mishima was terrified by this side of Iko; this side full of wrath and hatred for someone like Kamoshida who is so vain and spiteful. It reminded him of Murray, who only wanted to protect his friend.

"Murray…" Mishima whispered, hearing those words echo in his head again.

' _If you let this continue, everyone else is just gonna walk all over you!'_

"Things would be a lot better if that punk didn't try to constantly interfere!" S. Kamoshida snarled. "He humiliated me in front of my subjects! And now he'll suffer for his transgressions." He then grinned wickedly. "I'll enjoy watching him squirm."

"…No."

Everyone looked to see Mishima step forward, standing deviant.

"Murray has been nothing but good to me, treating me like a human, where you and everyone else would treat me like trash." He said angrily, clenching a fist. "Because of you always holding that scholarship over my head, and treating Sakamoto and Kurusu like crap because you don't like them, he had had enough." He then pointed a figure at the Shadow. "I won't let you step on the weak anymore!"

" _Finally, you have opened your eyes."_

Feeling a powerful ache in his head, Mishima grasped his head, his knees buckling under then pain.

" _Haven't you averted your eyes from the truth long enough?"_ The voice asked. _"Haven't you stood by and allow such tyranny to continue? Many have suffered because of this man and you did nothing. Have you decided to act now?"_

"…I do." Mishima nodded through the pain.

" _Then let us form a pact and end this evil."_ The voice continued. _"I am thou, thou art I. Let us ride forth and bring down this tyrant!"_

In a wisp of blue flame, a Roman Greek Emperor mask appeared on his face, the white around the eyes appearing cracked and the rest appeared golden. Reaching up and gripping the mask, Mishima pulled as hard as he ripped it off his face, a massive blue flame engulfing him; one minute he stood there, the next he was atop a massive black horse with battle scars on its body, wearing Roman armor made of leather.

Misima himself wore a white Roman outfit, the sleeves and leggings tied at the arms and legs and he wore Roman battle gauntlets and greaves and he had a curious satchel strapped to his side.

"Whoa, what is this?" Mishima cried out, looking at the armor and the Persona he was atop of. "This power…feels good!"

* * *

 **At this point, play Judas by Fozzy.**

* * *

Suddenly, as he waved his hand, several colored runes emerged from the satchel, each one glowing a different color. One of them, a white colored Rune, hovered over the group, before shining brightly, and a ray of light shined on the group as if healing them.

"Don't just stand there; KILL THEM!" S. Kamoshida yelled.

Nodding, one of the lesser Shadows charged forward, its sword aimed right at Iko.

"Professor!" Mishima yelled, reaching out a hand.

But as he did, a green rune sped forward, encasing Iko with a green glow. As the Shadow got closer, with a burst of speed, Iko swung his glaive, knocking the knight off its feet, then drove his glaive right into the knight's chest, killing it.

"Incredible…this speed," Iko mused in awe. "It's like I was just given an incredible speed boost!"

Three other knights charged forward towards Donnel, John, and Jessamine, then Mishima sent two more runes their way, encasing them in a red, blue, and green light.

One of the knights thrust its blade forward, but John brought his hands up together, and as the blades impacted, it shattered, the hands still intact.

"Nice try."

Smirking, John slipped two cards from his sleeves, then struck the Shadow with them, killing it.

The second Shadow tried to rush Donnel, only for its feet to be chopped off, then Donnel spun and swung his sword downward, cleaving the Shadow in half.

"Holy SHITE! This rules!"

The last Shadow tried to attack Jessamine, but Jessamine jumped over it, the thrust her blades in rapid succession, leaving a bunch of holes in its body.

"I feel way faster now!"

The golden armor knight stepped forward.

" _Insolent fools! How dare you make a mockery of us!"_

The knight transformed, changing into a large, red knight on an equally large black horse, holding a spear.

"Alright, time to show them what we can really do!" Iko declared, before turning to Mishima. "Mishima, can we rely on your help?"

"Yes, I'll do my best!" Mishima nodded, before patting the side of his Persona. "Let's do our best."

The horse Persona nodded, then reeled back, neighing loudly.

"Let's do this, **Brutus**!"

The Rebels readied themselves, as the Red Knight charged forward, swinging its spear, the Rebels ducked out of the way. Mishima activated the red rune, granting the team enhanced strength. The team then went on the attack, damaging the Red Knight greatly. The Knight then casted a fire spell, but Mishima quickly activated a blue rune, increasing the teams defenses, and while it didn't stop the attack, it did soften the blow. Casting on last multi-colored rune, Mishima increased all of the team's stats.

"Alright, let's finish this!" Iko declared.

Jumping into action, the team launched an all-out attack, swiftly finishing of the Red Knight, as it dissolved into a puddle.

* * *

 **Song ends.**

* * *

S. Kamoshida quivered fearfully, before taking off running.

"H-Hey! Get…back here…" Mishima panted heavily, slumping in the saddle.

"We'd better get out of here before more Shadows show up." Jessamine declared. "No way can Mishima can fight in this state."

In agreement, the Rebels plus Mishima exited the castle, before arriving back at the school gate.

"So, that was all real?" Mishima asked, slumping against the wall a bit. "That wasn't a dream?"

"Nope; it was a hundred percent real, lad." Donnel nodded. "So you can put your doubts to rest now."

"I know it's not easy to comprehend at first," Iko said. "God knows I had trouble understanding it, and I'm a scientist in the field of cognitive psience."

"That's what you were doing before you were a teacher?" Mishima inquired.

"That's right." Iko nodded. "I've been researching this field for more than three years now."

"But why keep that a secret?" Mishima asked.

"Because some jackass wanted that research for himself, and Iko wouldn't let him." Donnel bluntly stated. "So those bastards sent some arrogant mercenary after him to get the research, but we took care of that!"

"So you guys find bad guys and change their hearts, making them confess?" Mishima mused. "Is that what you did with that Kraven guy?"

"I know it may seem bad to you, Mishima-san," Iko sighed. "But some people won't change on their own; sometimes, they're set in their ways, like Kraven and Kamoshida. So we have to change their hearts, for the good of society."

"Changing society, huh…" Mishima repeated, before looking up at Iko. "Well, if you guys are gonna do something to stop Kamoshida, then take me with you!"

"You sure?" John asked with a raised eyebrow. "It could get dangerous."

"I'm not afraid anymore." Mishima declared defiantly. "After seeing the things in that castle, I can't just sit by and do nothing! I want to help put an end to such tyranny!"

"I think we should accept, Iko." Jessamine suggested. "With his Persona, Mishima can back us up in the field and we could use as much help as possible."

Iko gave it a short thought, before nodding.

"Alright, it's official." Iko declared, looking at Mishima. "Mishima, you're hereby declared as the new member of the Rebel Spectres. We expect great things from you."

"Awesome!" Mishima whooped happily. "I promise, I'll make you guys proud!"

After hearing that, Iko felt that small ache in his head again, as a voice rang out:

* * *

 **-I am Thou, Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow.**

 **It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.**

 **With the birth of the Moon Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to Freedom and new power…-**

* * *

Rubbing his head a bit, he refocused.

"Well, I'd better head home." Mishima declared. "But first, I need to go apologize to Murray."

"What about Kamoshida?" Donnel asked. "Won't he come looking for you?"

"Well, as the cool kids say, he can shove it." Mishima declared with a smile. "Besides, I can get a scholarship in something I really enjoy; computers."

"That's a good initiative, kid," John remarked. "I suggest you hold on to that."

The conversation ended, the team went their separate ways for the day, but they didn't notice Ayuna watching from a distance.

"What could you be up to, Nero-sensai?" She whispered to herself with interest.

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"And that's how I joined the Spectres!" Mishima declared proudly.

"So this whole time, you were a member?" Ryuji gasped. "Were you feeding them info about us?!"

"You say it like it's a bad thing," John remarked. "We're on the same side, right?"

"Yeah, but we barely knew you guys at the time." Ann retorted. "And just now we found out that Mishima, the admin of the Phansite and our informant, is a member of a different group!"

"I assure you, we meant no ill intent of it," Iko said. "As I said before, we weren't exactly sure of how you would react to another group seeking to reform society."

"Well, I have no problems with the extra help," Akira said. "But what happened next? Surely, Kamoshida wouldn't have simply let you walk away."

"You're right about that." Shiho sighed. "After losing his hold over Mishima, Kamoshida tried targeting Murray by going after me in a desperate attempt to hurt him." She shivered a bit. "He was close to doing something terrible to me…"

Murray put a caring arm around her, helping her calm down.

"So what happened?" Haru asked. "Did Murray come to your aid?"

"Sadly, no." Murray sighed sadly. "I was outside, when Shiho came running, looking as though she had seen a ghost."

"Wait, then who rescued Suzui-san?" Yusuke asked.

"It was Ayuna," Shiho revealed. "And what happened was quite…frightening, to say the least."

* * *

 **And here's the next chapter! Sorry for keeping you guys waiting, I've been busy with two jobs lately, so my time with fanfiction writing has been cut, but I'm still doing my best to deliver you guys content to enjoy! So, what do you guys think of Mishima being a part of the Rebel Spectres? I hope I didn't rush this, I'm still trying to make fixes as I see them. Still, feel free to let me know, any helpful feedback is appreciated; just no flaming, please. Thanks. And stay tuned for the next chapter, and don't forget to review!**


	12. Shiho Takes Flight

Persona 5: Long Live the Rebels

Chapter Twelve: Shiho Takes Flight

Mishima breathed in a nervous breath, as he stood outside of the Stone residence. Murray and his family lived in an average sized house with a medium sized front lawn and a large backyard. Taking a breath, Mishima knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with brown hair which reached her back and blue eyes, wearing a brown sundress.

"Why, hello there, Mishima!" She greeted with a smile. "We haven't seen you in a while!"

"Y-Yeah, sorry about that, Mrs. Stone." Mishima said nervously. "I-Is Murray home?"

"Oh, of course he is." She said, before turning her head to the living room. "Murray! Someone wants to see you!"

A few minutes later, Murray appeared at the doorway, wearing a brown t-shirt with a picture of a tiger on the front, black shorts and a blue wristband, and looked in slight surprise at the sight of Mishima at his doorstep.

"Oh, Mishima." He said, a bit taken aback. "Hey."

"Hey Murray." Mishima nodded, before looking towards the mother. "Is it okay if we talk in private?"

"Yes, of course." Mrs. Stone said, nodding, before going back into the house, leaving the two alone.

The two stood in silence for a moment, before Murray spoke up.

"So, what brings you here?" He asked.

"I wanted to apologize." Mishima said with a sigh. "To apologize for pushing you away when you were trying to help. You were trying to help me out of Kamoshida's thumb and I kept pushing you away. Because I was letting Kamoshida hold the scholarship over my head to make me do things for him. And I kept pushing you away because I was too scared to fight back."

Murray considered this for a moment, then sighed.

"I'm the one who should apologize." He said. "I was so absorbed by the idea of hurting Kamoshida that I completely ignored how it affected you. Every time I hurt Kamoshida, he takes his anger out on you. I thought I was helping you, but actually, I was hurting you. And for that, I'm sorry."

"Then I guess we agree to disagree that we're both at fault." Mishima gave a small smile.

They both laughed at this for a bit, before the laughing subsided.

"So, you wanna come in?" Murray offered. "It's been a while since we actually hung out."

"Gladly!" Mishima nodded happily.

As Murray went back inside, Mishima let out a blissful sigh.

"I can scarcely remember a time when I was truly happy."

Satisfied with his decision, Mishima followed Murray inside, hoping to reconnect with his friend.

* * *

Back at Shujin, Kamoshida sat in his P.E. office, typing on his computer with a lazy look. Glancing at the clock, he scoffed.

"He's late." He scowled angrily. "What the hell is taking that brat so long…?"

He mulled it over for a bit, but suddenly his face twisted with anger.

"I bet that cowboy had something to do with it!" He snarled. "That thug Murray's always stickin' his nose where it doesn't belong! Just like that Sakamoto punk"

He grumbled angrily to himself for a bit, before his face twisted with a sinister grin.

"I'll just have to 'remind' him what happens when he crosses me." He said to himself. "After I have a 'chat' with Shiho, he won't get in the way again. Maybe Ann will finally 'open up'."

He then laughed out loud, almost maniacally at his twisted idea.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Kamoshida, however, Ayuna was standing outside his office door, listening with anger in her eyes.

"How many students must you step on before you understand enough is enough, Kamoshida?" She growled silently, clenching her fist. "I swear I won't let you get away with this!"

And with that, she stormed off, passing by two other male students who noticed her rush past them.

"Yo, wasn't that Ichigo-san?" The student with black hair asked.

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it?" His friend mused. "I wonder what she's been up to…"

"Well, it's been two years since the incident, right?" The black-haired boy remarked. "I wonder if she still holds a grudge…"

"Well, you never know with people like her," The boy with short hair shrugged uncaringly. "People like her are always looking for someone to blame."

"But you weren't there, man." The black-haired boy said with a frown. "The look on her face, the tone of her voice…it was terrifying."

* * *

The next morning went on as usual, with Iko giving lectures, even asking some of the student's questions, though they seemed to struggle a bit before giving an answer. He also noticed that Ayuna wasn't present today, which he found strange, though he decided to ask the principal about it later.

Come lunch break, Iko left the class and made his way to the principal's office, but stopped halfway when he saw Kamoshida talking with Kobayakawa. Though he couldn't hear what they were saying, from the scowl on Kamoshida's face, Iko had the feeling that it wasn't anything good.

Nodding, Kamoshida turned and walked off, but not before sending a sideway glare at Iko, muttering 'foreigner trash' under his breath, though Iko heard that and frowned. Ignoring it for now, Iko approached the fat principal, who smiled at his approach.

"Oh, good morning, Nero-kun!" He greeted. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you saw Ichigo-san today." Iko said. "I haven't seen her all morning."

"Oh, that." Kobayakawa frowned with a sigh. "She wasn't feeling well so she had to take a leave of absence."

"Must be serious." Iko remarked. "Tell me; was she always the way she is now? All serious and scary looking?"

"Oh no, not at all!" Kobayakawa denied. "Back then, she used to be so nice and sweet, always making friends and had a beautiful smile. And she always traveled around with that friend of hers."

"Friend?" Iko repeated, curious.

"Miku was her name." Kobayakawa revealed. "Those two were far closer than anyone realized. They were practically inseparable."

"What changed?" Iko asked, having a bad feeling on where this was going.

"A few days after Kamoshida took over as coach, Ayuna-san's personality changed drastically." Kobayakawa explained. "She stopped smiling, became distant, and it only got worse after Miku-san committed suicide."

'Suicide?' Iko thought to himself with widened eyes.

"Ever since that tragic day, Ichigo-kun blamed Kamoshida-kun for Miku's death." The principal went on. "And after a while, she dropped out and hadn't been seen since until now."

"And you didn't find that suspicious at all?" Iko remarked, a bit taken aback by how casually the fat man was recalling things. "That she would come back out of the blue?"

"She no doubt wishes to continue her education." Kobayakawa shrugged. "Why do you ask anyway?"

"Just thought I'd ask." Iko replied. "Since this is the first time I met her, after all."

"Of course, I understand!" The overweight man said with a fake smile. "If you need anything else, feel free to ask!"

His curiosity satisfied for now, Iko walked off, heading back to his classroom, but stopped when he saw Mishima standing with Akira and Ryuji, talking with them. Ryuji seemed surprised, while Akira seemed to be in thought, while Mishima stood there with a pained expression on his face.

'Did Mishima tell them about what he did?' Iko thought to himself, worried.

The two boys, Akira and Ryuji looked to each other, before giving Mishima friendly smiles, before Ryuji seemed to say a few things that seemed to make Mishima relax a bit.

After Ryuji and Akira left, Iko finally approached.

"I assume you told them?" Iko inquired, prompting Mishima to face him.

"About what I did? Yes." Mishima nodded. "I felt it was best if I came clean. Those two deserve so much better, after the lengths they went for my sake."

"But you didn't tell them about our knowledge of the Metaverse?" Iko said.

"No, not yet, unless you want me to." Mishima said, shaking his head. "I don't think it would be wise to tell them without freaking them out or thinking I've gone crazy."

"That's true." Iko nodded. "Well, once we make the necessary preparations, we'll be infiltrating Kamoshida's Palace again."

"So, it's like with that Kraven guy, right?" Mishima asked. "How you guys 'stole his heart'?"

"I know it sounds farfetched, but it works." Iko assured. "Once we deal with Kamoshida, you won't have to worry about him anymore."

Before they could part ways, however, an angry looking Kamoshida approached them.

"Where the hell were you, boy?" He demanded. "You didn't show up for practice!"

"I had to head home, sensei." Mishima answered, not showing any fear. "I wasn't feeling well, remember?"

"I don't care for your excuses, runt!" Kamoshida scoffed uncaringly. "You're gonna have to work even harder for the time you missed!"

Mishima looked to Iko, who gave a nod, then back to Kamoshida.

"Actually, I decided to quit." He stated.

"What?!" The P.E. teacher gasped in genuine surprise.

"You were right; I don't have the talent for sports." Mishima said with a smile. "I'm better off getting a scholarship in computers instead." He then bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your time and I apologize for wasting it."

He then turned and left for class, leaving Kamoshida with a face full of surprise, then it quickly switched to anger, as he turned to Iko.

"This is YOUR doing!" He accused.

"I did no such thing." Iko said innocently. "Mishima simply made his decision is all."

"Playing dumb, eh?" Kamoshida scoffed, turning away. "No matter. You and those brats won't be around much longer anyway."

After Kamoshida left, Iko left for class, focusing on teaching the class.

* * *

After school, Iko left earlier than the others, heading for the station square, then entered the Big Bang Burger restaurant, taking a seat by the window. He then ordered his food and waited.

"So, any plans for Kamoshida?" Jessamine asked, poking her head out of the bag.

"Not yet." Iko said. "Still going through the planning stages. Plus, we still need to make a few more preparations."

"I understand." Jessamine said understandingly.

Suddenly, Iko's phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he saw that it was a message from Sae.

 **Sae: Iko, are you busy?**

Curious, Iko decided to respond.

 **Iko: No, I just got off work. Is everything alright?**

 **Sae: Yes, I was just wondering if you were available this Sunday.**

This intrigued Iko.

 **Iko: Oh?**

 **Sae: I enjoyed our time together the night before and I was hoping you could be available this weekend. Since I'm off on Sunday, I was hoping we could get together.**

Thinking for a moment, Iko then nodded and typed in his answer.

 **Iko: I'd be more than happy to.**

After a few minutes, Iko got a reply.

 **Sae: Great! See you this Sunday!**

Iko couldn't help but smile, as he put away his phone.

"Looks like you've scheduled another date night." Jessamine remarked.

Before Iko could respond, however, he noticed the doors opened up, and saw two certain students he recognized; one of them was Akira Kurusu, the other was Ann Takamaki. He watched the two sit by the window next to his spot on the bench, completely unaware of his presence.

"I don't have anything to talk about with you." Ann said with a frown. "It was just an argument…"

"…With Kamoshida?" Akira guessed.

Ann sighed dejectedly, before slowly nodding.

"You've heard the rumors…haven't you?" Ann asked, toying with her napkin. "About Mr. Kamoshida. Everyone says we're getting it on." She then looked up at Akira with a fierce glare. "But…that's so not true…!"

Iko could feel the distain in her voice. But these rumors? Are people truly unable to question the truth behind such baseless lies?

"That was him on the other line." Ann went on, with Akira listening. "I avoided giving him my number…for the longest time…" She then grabbed her napkin. "He told me to go to his place after this… You know what it means."

Iko couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was Kamoshida, a teacher, honestly trying to force himself on a _student_?

Akira simply listened, as she went on.

"If I turn him down, he said he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team…" She said, tilting her head down. "I've been telling myself this is all for Shiho's sake…" She then leaned back in her seat, as tears started to form. "I can't take it anymore…"

If Iko wasn't already shocked, he sure seemed like it now. Not only was Kamoshida, again, a teacher, trying to force himself on a student, he was also blackmailing said student? Why hasn't anyone honestly spoken up about this?!

Akira didn't seem to know the right words to respond, averting his eyes a bit.

"I've had enough of this…I hate him!" Ann said, as tears started to roll down her face. "But still…Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left in that sorry excuse of a school!" She then looked up to Akira with tears in her eyes. "Tell me… What should I do…?"

Iko was at a loss for words. This girl was desperately crying for help, yet no one else would even look her way; just bury their heads in the sand and say that it's none of their concern. That kind on mentality angered Iko to the core.

Akira only grunted silently, gripping his knees in silent anger.

"Sorry… I shouldn't have asked." Ann said, wiping the tears from her face. "It's not your problem."

Akira looked up to her in silent concern.

"What…am I saying…?" She said. "I've barely even talked to you before…"

"Maybe that's why?" Akira said.

"…You might be right." Ann sighed, before shaking her head. "…You're so weird. Usually everyone just ignores me." She then looked up at him with curiosity. "Are you really a bad person as the rumor says…? You just don't look like it…"

"Of course not." Akira assured her. "If I was, we wouldn't be talking now, would we?"

Iko smiled a bit as the two teens laughed at Akira's words.

"No, I guess not." Ann said, before frowning. "But they say that you assaulted someone… That you almost killed them… I kinda had a feeling they were all exaggerations."

Iko started wondering if people honestly just believe everything they hear without asking questions?

"You seemed lonely. Almost like you didn't belong anywhere…" Ann said. "We're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why it's so easy for me to talk to you." She sighed. "Is there really no for me to help Shiho…? I wish he'd just change his mind… Like, forget about me and everything…"

Iko almost sighed aloud, but resisted the urge. From what he saw of the coach's shadow, this man had no intention of changing his mind, let alone forget.

"Well, it _could_ happen." Akira said, almost seriously.

Ann almost giggled at that, "I wasn't asking for a serious response." She then smiled a bit. "But I do feel a bit better now."

Grabbing her bag, she stood up.

"I'm gonna head home." She said with a stern look. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?" She then smiled. "And…thanks."

With that, she left.

Looking over at the teen, Iko got up and walked over, approaching from behind.

"Seems you've made a new friend."

Jumping a bit, Akira turned and looked up at Iko, slightly surprised.

"I've been here before you arrived." Iko explained. "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you." Akira smiled gratefully. "I just couldn't ignore someone who needs help."

"I agree." Iko nodded. "Though not everyone would agree, it's not right to just sit by while injustice runs rampant." Grabbing his bag, with Jessamine inside, he made for the exit. "Well, I'd better go. Stay safe."

He then left, heading back to the apartment.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

* * *

Back at the school, Ayuna was inside the P.E. office, where Kamoshida was not present at the moment. She was playing an app on her phone, waiting for something. Looking up, she took notice of Kamoshida talking with some of the female students. Seeing the coach make his way towards her position, she snuck into the locker and waited. After several minutes, Kamoshida entered the office and sat at his work desk, working at his computer typing away, as Ayuna glared at him from inside the locker.

'How many more students must suffer before you realize the truth, Kamoshida?' She thought bitterly. 'How many rejections must you face before you understand?'

As she pondered her thoughts, there was a knock at the door. Kamoshida gave a firm "Enter" and the door opened, revealing to be Shiho, much to Ayuna's silent shock.

"Why would Shiho be here?" Ayuna thought, silently growling. "Just what are you up to, Kamoshida?"

"Take a seat." Kamoshida commanded.

Obeying, Shiho sat in a nearby chair, while Ayuna watched patiently.

"I must say, Shiho," Kamoshida began, leaning back in his chair. "That boyfriend of yours has been real trouble to me."

"Huh?" Shiho said, surprised. "What do you mean?"

"Showing me up at the volleyball rally, defying me," Kamoshida listed off. "Even interfering in my practices!" He then shooked his head. "Honestly, I don't understand what you see in him."

"He's a good person, sensei." Shiho defended. "He does his best to help the other students."

"And yet he's too bullheaded to mind his own business." Kamoshida said condescendingly. "If you stay with him, he's gonna get you into trouble."

Ayuna gritted her teeth and clenched her fists at this. 'Was this man honestly trying to split these two apart to get back at Murray?'

"No, you're wrong about Murray!" Shiho stood in defiance. "Murray is a man with a heart of gold and he's been nothing but good to me! All he does is try to help the students that _you_ hurt!"

Ayuna found herself surprised by Shiho's outburst, the passion in her voice of her defense of Murray.

'Just like Miku did for me…' She thought warmly to herself.

But it didn't last long, however, when she saw Kamoshida launch from his chair at Shiho, wrapping his meaty hand around her throat and pushed her against the desk, bending her back against the surface.

"You damn kids, always trying to undermine my authority." He growled, before grinning wickedly. "I'll just have to remind you whose king of this castle."

"No! Stop!" Shiho screamed in shock, struggling, as Kamoshida reached down for her skirt.

Ayuna felt her blood boil at this. It all reminded her of that terrible day; the day that Kamoshida stole her best friend. The day he stole her innocence.

With violent aggression, she threw open the locker door and charged before anyone had time to react, and tackled Kamoshida to the floor and started beating him down while screaming like a rabid animal, while Shiho watched on in shock.

At this point, Ayuna had had enough. She didn't care if she got in trouble with the principal or the police. All she cared about was beating the lustful man within an inch of his sorry life.

"YOU! WILL! NOT! TOUCH! HER! EVER! AGAIN!" She screamed as she punctuated with each punch she sent to his face, her legs pinning Kamoshida's arms down, preventing him from defending himself.

By the time she had stopped, Kamoshida's face was bloodied and bruised, his shirt covered in blood, and he was moaning in pain.

Shiho looked on in shock, in complete disbelief at what had just happened. She watched as Ayuna slowly stood, breathing heavy, her uniform covered in blood, as she slowly turned to face Shiho, murder in her eyes.

"Get. Out." She snarled in a terrifying tone. "NOW!"

As if on autopilot, Shiho hastily ran out the door, running down the halls, leaving Ayuna with a bloody and beaten Kamoshida.

* * *

Outside the school, Murray waited by the school gate, checking the time, before letting out a sigh.

"Shiho was supposed to be here by now." He wondered silently. "Where could she be…?"

Suddenly, a loud scream shock him from his thoughts.

"MUUUUURRRRRAAAAAAYYYYYYY!"

Jumping a bit, Murray looked to see Shiho making a mad dash towards him, her face pale, as she jumped at him with a hug, burying her face into his chest.

"Whoa, Shiho, what's wrong?" Murray asked with concern. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"M-Murray…!" Shiho stuttered, sniveling. "I-I-"

"Wait a minute." Murray halted, holding a hand up. "Take a breath, collect your thoughts."

Obeying, Shiho breathed in and out several times to calm down, then told Murray about what had happened. After she finished, to say that Murray was angry was an understatement.

"What the actual fuck?!" Murray growled angrily. "What the hell is wrong with that bastard?!"

"Murray, please!" Shiho pleaded. "Please, don't! You'll end up in deep trouble!"

"But this is beyond messed up!" Murray protested, before realizing something. "Wait, what about Ayuna? Where'd she go?"

"I don't know." Shiho shook her head, shivering a bit. "But the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice screamed bloody murder."

"From what you told me, it didn't end well." Murray said. "She actually attacked Kamoshida?"

Shiho nodded hastily.

"Damn, I almost WANTED to see that." Murray admitted. "Still, we gotta get you home, ASAP."

In agreement, the two left the school grounds. Arriving at Shiho's house, the two stopped at her door.

"Tell them everything that happened." Murray advised. "No doubt they'll be as angry as I was."

Nodding, Shiho went inside, but before Murray could leave, he felt his phone go off. Pulling it out, he noticed that it was from a number he doesn't recognize. Looking at the message, he was greeted with a video recording attached to a message:

 **Unknown: Do the right thing, dumbass.**

"Was this from Ayuna? How'd she get my number?" Murray thought, before frowning in realization. "Wait, who's she calling a dumbass?!"

* * *

The next day went on like normal. After school got out, Iko was in the middle of gathering his belongings when Murray barged into the room.

"Professor Nero?" Murray said with a stern expression. "We need to talk."

Iko looked up at the young cowboy, seeing the serious look on his face and hearing the serious tone in his voice.

"Is something the matter, Murray?" Iko asked simply.

"Yer dammed right there is!" Murray said with a growl. "Pardon mah language, but this can't be ignored!"

Wringing his phone from his pocket, Murray showed the recording. As he watched, Iko's expression was one of absolute shock and disbelief.

"What in the…?" Iko was unsure of what to say.

"That's right." Murray nodded. "What you just saw was Kamoshida's rape attempt on a student, who also happens to be my girlfriend." Murray then growled. "This is the kind of man that the principal has allowed to oversee the volleyball team; a man who will stop at nothing to satisfy his own lust and doesn't give one shit about the student's well-being!"

"Have you taken this to the principal?" Iko asked.

"You think that fat bastard would give a damn?" Murray growled. "He'd just ignore it, just like he did the various other times, for the sake of the school's damned reputation! The other teachers ain't much better! All they say is that it's 'just how it is'!"

Iko could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Not only is the principal neglectful of the students well-being, but apparently the teachers were hiding Kamoshida's abuses as well.

"I'm not gonna let this slide anymore." Murray declared, before giving Iko a serious look. "Either you do something about Kamoshida before the next board meeting, or I will!"

* * *

 _Present…_

* * *

"Dude, were you for real?!" Ryuji said in shock.

"Of course I was." Murray said with a stern expression. "After what he tried to do, I wasn't gonna let that bastard walk away without bein' punished."

"But you could have ended up in deeper trouble!" Shiho protested. "Even if you had good intentions, you should never resort to attacking a teacher!"

"That didn't stop Ayuna." Murray retorted.

"Wait, what happened to Ichigo-san?" Makoto asked. "What happened after she assaulted Kamoshida?"

"She vanished; to where, I'm not sure." Iko said. "All I know is that she had a burning hatred for Kamoshida, and it made sense for why she did what she did."

"Still, violence should never be an option," Donnel sighed. "Only a last resort."

"So, what happened next?" Haru asked.

"After that, I gathered the team." Iko declared. "We needed to act before Murray did something reckless…"

* * *

 _Back to the story…_

* * *

After getting home, Iko called the team together and relayed his encounter with Murray. After he had finished, the team was quite shocked to say the least.

"Is this for real?!" Donnel let out a gasp. "Is Murray being serious about this?!"

"Murray seemed dead set in his decision, as reckless it may seem." Iko said.

"Still, we shouldn't let him go off the rails like this." John chimed in. "I say we raid the castle and get it over with."

"I'm with John on this, but we should take caution." Mishima added. "Whatever is inside Kamoshida's Palace, he'll no doubt be expecting us."

"Then it's decided!" Jessamine declared. "We should head inside the Palace and secure a route!"

* * *

After preparing their gear, the group made their way back to the school gate, the gates closed for all.

"Doesn't look like anyone's around." Donnel remarked, looking around.

"Remember; if we see the boys on the way, do not engage." Iko warned. "We can't have them getting suspicious."

"Well, let's get this operation underway." John nodded.

As they started up the MetaNav, however, just a few feet away, Shiho walked by and looked over, confused at the sight of her teacher and classmates at the gate. Before she could ponder this or even approach them, she noticed a slight distortion in her surroundings, and didn't even have time to cry out, as she was pulled into the Metaverse.

* * *

The Spectres walked up to the castle gates, the imposing structure looming over them.

"Before we continue, we'll need to decide on Mishima's codename." Iko declared.

"Codename?" Mishima repeated, confused.

"An alter alias we go by as Rebel's." Donnel explained. "Boss' Anubis, I'm Apollyon, Johnny's Spider, and she's Jessie."

"Oh, I think I understand." Mishima nodded. "So, what am I gonna be called?"

"Well, you look like a Roman scholar," Donnel remarked. "How about 'Scroll'?"

"What kind of name is that for someone who deals with runes?" John asked skeptical.

"'Runes'," Mishima repeated, before smiling. "I think Rune fits me better."

"Alright, then it's settled." Jessamine declared. "From here on, you'll be known as 'Rune'!"

With Mishima's codename squared away, the Rebels ventured into the castle, aiming to make progress on an infiltration route.

* * *

"What is this place?" Shiho said allowed as she gazed at her new surroundings.

It was strange; one minute she was standing outside an alley, wondering what her fellow students were doing at the school gate, then the next minute she was pulled into a place beyond reality.

"Wasn't this the school?" Shiho wondered aloud, looking up at the castle. "Where'd this castle come from?!"

"Who goes there?!"

Jumping a bit, she turned and screamed at the sight of armored knights quickly approaching.

* * *

Inside the castle, the Spectre's made their way down several halls, sneaking past several guards and avoiding detection, as they arrived at a safe room.

"Alright, everyone inside." Anubis whispered.

Entering the room, the Spectres sat around the table.

"Seriously, how big is this place?" Apollyon asked. "There must be at least more than a hundred rooms in this castle!"

"Castles are usually pretty big." Spider answered. "Trust me, I've been to plenty."

"But we're not quite closer to where we need to be, aren't we?" Rune asked with a frown. "It seems like these passageways go on forever."

"It seemed that way when we infiltrated our first Palace." Jessie declared. "We just gotta push forward and do our best!"

Before they could continue, they stopped when they heard voices of some of the knights from the outside.

"Who was this girl outside the castle?" The voice asked. "I could have sworn we were pursuing the readings of an intruder…"

"It doesn't matter now!" Another voice replied. "We must take her to King Kamoshida!"

As the voices faded away, the Rebels seemed confused.

"What're they talkin' about?" Apollyon asked. "Were we followed?"

"Unlikely, we made sure to be careful." Spider replied.

"Give me a minute…" Jessie said, before stepping out.

A few minutes later, Jessie came back with widened eyes.

"This is bad!" She said in a panic.

"What's wrong?" Anubis asked.

"One of the students followed us in!" She cried.

"What? How?!" Apollyon demanded. "We made sure we weren't followed!"

"They must've been too close to our proximity!" Rune said. "We need to go save them before they get killed!"

In agreement, and making sure the coast was cleared, the Rebels made their way down the halls to find the lost girl.

* * *

"L-Let me go!" Shiho screamed against her restraints.

As if finding herself standing before a castle that seemed to come out of a fantasy novel, she then found herself dragged down into some dungeon and tied to some BDSM restraints. It certainly didn't help that the room was filled with what looked like pink-skinned topless girls in P.E. pants. Shiho could feel the fear in her stomach, hoping that this was some sick prank.

"T-This isn't funny!" She screamed. "I-If you don't let me go right now, I'll never forgive you!"

"So this is the intruder."

Upon hearing the voice, Shiho looked up to see Kamoshida in his half naked glory, completely unaware that it's not his Shadow.

"W-What the…? Kamoshida…?" Shiho stuttered in shock. "What in the world…? What are you wearing?!"

"Shiho Suzui." The Shadow said with a lustful grin. "Not much of a prize, but I'll take it."

"D-Don't come near me!" Shiho said shakily. "When I tell Murray about this-"

"That worthless thug won't do a damn thing," The Shadow King said with a grin. "As long as that fool of a principal has such high expectations of me, no one can touch me." He gave a dark look. "Are you afraid? No wonder Murray got so attached to you; you're so feisty. I'm going to enjoy making you into a playmate for my toy."

Before Shiho could spit out a reply, her eyes widened as a young woman she recognized stood by Kamoshida's side.

"A-Ann?"

What shocked Shiho more was the outfit her friend was wearing, or lack thereof; nothing but a small pink bakini, high heels and cat ears.

"Surprised?" Kamoshida asked with a smug grin. "After all; this is my castle; the world of my desires."

"What in the world are you talking about?!" Shiho demanded, before turning to her friend. "Ann, snap out of it! This isn't you!"

"Like, you are sooo bossy!" The Cognative version of Ann scoffed with a weird smile. "Like, relax. You'll totally love it with Master. It only, like, hurts after the first time, but you'll definitely like it!"

"Ann…" Shiho couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. This was certainly not how her friend would behave at all.

"A shame the other one was so damn resilient." The Shadow sneered. "Oh well. I'll settle for second best."

Suddenly, the doors to the room busted open, as the Rebel Spectre's charged in.

"Kamoshida!" Iko shouted angrily, glaive at the ready. "Stop this at once!"

"Honestly, THIS is how you see the female students?" Donnel shouted, gesturing to the girls scattered on the floor. "You are one seriously sick puppy!"

"Pathetic to the core." John snarled. "All because one girl rejected him."

"We're not letting you get away with this!" Mishima shouted.

"You rebels again." S. Kamoshida growled. "How many times are you gonna come back? You're as troublesome as those thieves last time!"

"Oi, what's he talkin' about?" Donnel asked in a whisper.

"He's probably referring to the boys." Iko theorized. "Could they have come through here already?"

"It doesn't matter!" Jessamine said, her rapiers at the ready. "We gotta save the girl!"

Before they could make a move, the guards raised their swords to Shiho's throat.

"Take another step and the girl dies." S. Kamoshida threatened with an arrogant look.

"Harm her and I'll end you," Iko replied with venom in his voice.

"You wouldn't dare." S. Kamoshida challenged.

"Killing you would give the real Kamoshida a mental shutdown." Iko declared, a dark look on his face. "It'll be worth it. I doubt anyone would miss you."

"Professor…" Shiho whispered, recognizing her teacher's voice.

"Shiho, listen to me," Iko urged. "Do not blame yourself for Kamoshida's actions. You are not to blame for the things he does."

"But…" Shiho wanted to say something, but Iko wasn't finished.

"Murray told me about how you were by his side when he came here." Mishima chimed in. "He'd talk about how great you are, how you were by his and Ann's side even through the worst times."

"He even told me about what you told him, about how Kamoshida tried to hurt you." Iko went on. "That he was willing to take great risks to protect you. Do you really want him to take a fall because of this scum? Do you?!"

Shiho couldn't believe what she was hearing. To hear that Murray, who she had grown to love after the time they spent together, would go to such great lengths to protect her, as reckless as it seems, brought joy to her heart.

And it only inspired her to want to do the same for him.

"No…you're right." Shiho said as she looked up, determination in her eyes. "Murray and Ann wouldn't want this. And I don't either. I won't let this bastard toy with me or anyone else ever again!"

"It's like I always say, slaves should just…" S. Kamoshida tried to say.

"Shut your mouth, you scum!" Shiho yelled in fury. "You hurt me, hurt my friends, bullied the volleyball team into fearing your abuse and tried to force yourself on my friend in the worst way possible! I will never forgive you! I! WILL! MAKE! YOU! PAY!"

" _It's about time you finally fought back."_

Shiho let out a sharp gasp, feeling a slight pain in her head.

" _This man has made you and others suffer for far too long. It's time we forge a contract and avenge your comrades in arms._

Shiho struggled against her binds, writhing in apparent pain.

" _I am Thou, Thou Art I. Be free from your cage, spread your wings…AND RAIN HELLFIRE FROM THE SKIES ABOVE!"_

Shiho stopped struggling, as a brown hawk-like mask appeared on her face in a whisk of blue flame upon her face, her eyes glowing a deep yellow. Gathering strength she never thought she had, she tore from the restraints and dropped to the floor. Reaching up she took hold of the mask and ripped it from her face, making her scream in pain as blood ran down her face.

The Rebels were in shock and awe, as Shiho gave S. Kamoshida a look of pure hatred, as the Shadow looked back in fear.

"Come forth," She called out, a ring of blue flame surrounding her. "FILIBUS!"

One minute, the blue flame swallowed her. The next she was dressed in what looked like a dark red pilot's jacket covered in dark black buttons with a black corset underneath, a pair of jet-black leggings, a dark grey scarf, along with her mask. Strapped to her sides was a chain-like whip and what looked like a tommy gun.

The Persona behind her was a giant light-skinned woman in a red dress and a white rode and a black masquerade mask, riding what looked like a large ballooned airship spewing steam from the many pipes that covered it.

The guards didn't even have a second to react, as Shiho rushed forward, knocking a sword from the nearest guards grip with her whip. Using her whip to take hold of the sword, Shiho swung the weapon downwards, aiming to slice the arrogant king in two, only for said king to pull the Cognative Ann in front as a human shield, making her scream as she dissolved.

"We are not your pawns anymore, you piece of garbage." Shiho said with pure fury.

"Bitch," S. Kamoshida spat ignorantly.

"For all that you've done, you miserable dog." Shiho snarled. "It's YOUR turn to suffer!"

" _Insolent brat!"_ One of the guards said. " _Enough of your foolishness!"_

In a burst of blackness, the Shadow fused with two other Shadows, forming a larger creature with several heads of a snake.

Shiho, however, wasn't intimidated, as she readied her whip, as the Rebels joined at her side.

"You better get out of the way, or you'll suffer just as much!" She said with a sneer. "Let's do this, Filibus!"

* * *

 **At this point, play I Won't Tell You by Lacuna Coil.**

* * *

" _You dare reject King Kamoshida's love, you selfish lass?!"_ The Shadow growled. " _You will pay with your life!"_

"There is no 'love' with that cockroach of a man!" Shiho retorted with venom in her voice. "Nothing but lust and evil!"

"I understand your anger, but don't push yourself!" Iko warned. "Otherwise, you may end up drained."

The fight began, as the monster launched several ice attacks, but the Rebels plus Shiho were agile enough to dodge the attacks. Donnel managed to get close and severe one of the beasts heads, the head dissolving as it hit the floor.

Jessamine summoned her Persona, launching a gravity attack, crippling one of the heads, allowing Iko to run up and impale the head with his glaive, killing that part of the Shadow.

John fired a spray of cards, taking the creature down and stunning it, allowing the Rebels to launch an all-out attack, weakening the monster significantly.

Growling, the Shadow whipped its tail at Donnel, the impact was so hard that it knocked him down with a yelp. Using her Persona's power, Shiho was able to heal him.

"I'm ending this now." Shiho said with determination as she summoned her Persona. "Let's finish this, Filibus!"

The airship fired a powerful fire-based attack at the Shadow, setting it on fire, and as it roared in pain, it slowly dissolved into nothing.

* * *

 **Song ends.**

* * *

With the fight over, the Rebels turned towards S. Kamoshida, who was quivering with fear.

"Oh shit!" The Shadow exclaimed before turning and running away.

"Stop, I'm not…done with…" Shiho tried to shout after him, but instead she collapsed to the ground, breathing heavy.

"Are you alright, lass?" Donnel asked. "Better yet, how did you get here?!"

"Calla-san…?" Shiho said, looking up at Donnel with confusion. "What are-? Where is-?"

Looking done, she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sight of her new attire, "Wha-Where did these clothes come from?!"

Seeing how the corset was rather form-fitting and a bit revealing, she quickly buttoned up her jacket and pulled her scarf up to hide her blush.

"We'll explain everything later." Iko said. "Right now, we need to make a quick exit. More guards are likely to come and you're in no condition to fight."

Nodding weakly, Shiho allowed her classmate and teacher to drape her arms over their shoulders as they made their way to the exit, unaware of a character with a white bunny mask watching from the shadows.

* * *

After escaping the Palace, the Rebels met up at the train station, as Donnel returned to the group with a few bottles of soda in a plastic bag he was carrying, while Iko, Shiho, Mishima and John were sat on a bench.

"I'm back!" Donnel declared, holding out the bag. "Pick yer poison!"

Shiho took the lemon line soda, while Mishima got the dark Cola soda. John and Iko politely declined, letting Donnel take the last one, which was pink lemonade.

"So all the stuff that happened back there," Shiho spoke up, a bit shaken from today's events. "With that castle, and Kamoshida calling himself king…it's all true."

"That and more." Iko assured.

"If I hadn't seen the place myself, I would've called you all crazy." Shiho admitted. "But after seeing it firsthand, experiencing my power, I'm not sure what to believe anymore."

"That's the will of your rebellion, Suzui-san." Iko explained. "With it, you can fight in the other world."

Nodding, Shiho looked to her homeroom teacher.

"So it's true?" She asked. "That you changed the heart of the person that was harassing you, and now you plan on doing it to Kamoshida?"

"That's the idea." Mishima confirmed. "The principal's just gonna ignore us and he'll no doubt bribe the police to keep quiet, or Kamoshida will just claim they were just rumors to slander him. Changing his heart and making him confess what he's done is the only way."

"Will you help us, Mrs. Shiho?" Jessamine asked. "You don't have to, but I thought you might have something to settle, after what Kamoshida tried to do to you."

"What he tried to…"Shihotried to say, before her eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know about that?!"

"Murray told me what happened." Iko revealed. "And was very adamant that something be done about Kamoshida before the next board meeting."

"Oh God," Shiho gasped. "So he might do something reckless?"

After a nod from the others, Shiho looked down a bit, before looking back up to them.

"Then I'll join." Shiho nodded, fire in her eyes. "After seeing how he sees Ann and the other girls, with how he treats the male students like punching bags, he needs to pay for what he's done."

"Glad to have you with us, kid." John smiled.

As he nodded, Iko felt the same minor pain in his head, as a voice called.

* * *

 **-I am Thou, Thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow.**

 **It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.**

 **With the birth of the Avian Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to Freedom and new power…**

* * *

Rubbing his head a bit, he recovered and noticed something not too far from them.

"Hey, take a look."

Following their leader's gaze, the group saw some familiar faces; Akira, Ryuji and Ann were across from them on the opposite side of the railway, appearing to be conversing about something.

"Looks like they already went in." John remarked. "And Ann no doubt awakened to her Persona."

"Kamoshida's Shadow must be having a stroke from all the awakenings he's seein'," Donnel joked.

Thinking a bit, Iko came to a conclusion.

"Perhaps we should let them handle this one," Iko declared, gaining his groups attention. "They seem to be doing well, since they're still alive, but they should at least be observed to see what they can do." He turned to John. "Since the rest of us will be busy with school, John, you and Jessamine will be in charge of surveillance, see what they can do."

"Sounds good to me." John nodded.

With their plan set and with a new addition to their group, the Rebel Spectres decided to wait until the would-be Phantom Thieves made their move.

* * *

 **This version of Shiho was used with permission from MaximusTheMad, I highly recommend you check out his story, Persona 5: Shiho's Awakening, and his other stories!**

 **Aaaaaand there's the new chapter! Sorry if it seemed like I neglected this story, I've been busy with work, spending time with visiting relatives, working two jobs, working on my other stories that I may have forgotten to update this one. That and the part where Kamoshida traps Shiho was veeeerrrryyyyy difficult to write since the scene from the actual game made me pretty uncomfortable, but I guess it made me despise Kamoshida even more. Still, I managed to push through it for your sake.**

 **Anyways, what do you guys think? I hope I didn't rush this. Stay tuned for the next chapter! Be sure to review!**


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